On a Saturday morning in Tehran, state television broadcast a written statement from Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in which he vowed that Iranians would continue to avenge the deaths of his father, Ali Khamenei, and of other senior officials killed since the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28. The words were addressed to a nation still in mourning after a dayslong funeral that had drawn vast crowds chanting for the deaths of both Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The statement made clear that the change in leadership in Tehran has not softened the country's public posture toward Washington. Hours earlier and thousands of kilometres away, President Trump had posted a fresh round of threats on his Truth Social platform, warning of further missile strikes against Iran.

His comments followed demands from senior U.S. officials that Tehran issue a formal declaration confirming the Strait of Hormuz is open and that vessels transiting the critical corridor face no threat of attack. Iran, which earlier this week had targeted three ships in the strait, has refused those terms outright, insisting instead that it retains authority over the waterway and the right to levy charges on ships that pass through it.

Trump declared the ceasefire over on Friday, though he indicated that negotiations would continue. Diplomats from several countries are working to prevent a full collapse of talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew to Oman on Saturday for fresh discussions, while Qatari mediators had separately visited Tehran the previous day. Oman and Qatar have both served as quiet intermediaries between Washington and Tehran for years, and their simultaneous engagement reflects how urgently regional actors are trying to contain the crisis.