Iran accuses US of derailing truce deal as fears grow of renewed strikes

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused Washington of causing the collapse of an interim agreement meant to end the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. Speaking in comments aired by Iranian Press TV on Saturday, he suggested both sides should return to the negotiating table and finalise the arrangement.

Concerns have mounted that fighting could resume within days, after US President Donald Trump indicated on Friday that he might launch another round of strikes, referring to the codename used for the earlier US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on February 28.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cautioned, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency, that even a limited strike would provoke a far more severe retaliation. Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Ali Abdollahi, said on Saturday that American forces would never be permitted to enter the Gulf, dismissing any such prospect as something Trump could only imagine happening.

Trump has hinted he may pursue further military action against Iran, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his aim of toppling Iran's leadership. Both leaders face upcoming elections, with Israeli voters going to the polls on Tuesday and Trump's Republican Party facing a tough midterm contest on November 3, where Democrats could potentially gain control of both chambers of Congress.

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Saturday that Iran would act to defend itself without waiting for outside approval, stating that while the country wants peace, it would respond forcefully to any act of aggression.