US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had requested the continuation of talks and that the United States had agreed, but added that the ceasefire agreement the two countries had reached was over.
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We agreed to that, but the United States has informed them, in no uncertain terms, that the ceasefire is over!"
Wednesday and Thursday saw a fierce exchange of fire between Washington and Tehran, following Trump's declaration that the ceasefire had "ended", casting doubt on the durability of the memorandum of understanding between the two sides that had been expected to pave the way for a complete end to the war.
Earlier on Friday, however, a US official confirmed that talks between the United States and Iran on a permanent peace agreement were continuing, despite the military escalation on Wednesday and Thursday.