On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called U.S. President Donald Trump a hypocrite, and rejected his claimed assertions of seeking Middle East peace during a tour of the Gulf states.
Khamenei pointed to U.S. military assistance for Israel, calling out “supporting Israel’s 10-ton bombs to drop on Gaza’s children” and labelling Israel a “cancerous tumor” that must be “uprooted”.
Trump cautioned Iran to act quickly on a U.S. nuclear deal or face consequences, warning that "Something bad's going to happen." Trump's comments on Air Force One after his visit to the UAE were met with rushed condemnations from Tehran.
Although Trump claimed Iran got an U.S. offer for a deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denied this on social media, saying 'we have not received any proposal', and stating that Tehran would never give up its right to peaceful uranium enrichment.
Last week, the fourth round of U.S.-Iran talks in Oman ended without results, and no new meetings were scheduled. Iran maintains its nuclear programme is peaceful, while the U.S. wants stricter limits.