Ceasefire expiration and Trump's warning
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon "in any way, shape or form," as a 60-day ceasefire agreement signed between Iran and the US in June expired on Monday. The agreement was designed to halt US and Israeli attacks on Iran and address Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to The Independent, the deal ran out with no breakthrough in sight for permanent peace talks.
Tehran, however, asserted that there was "no provision" for a deadline in the agreement and that Iran "never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or time limits." Iranian officials accused the US of "gross and widespread US violations" of the accord, making it irrelevant. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted, as both Iran and the US continue their respective blockades, according to The Independent.
Iran's stance and regional efforts
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran will escalate tensions in Hormuz and the wider region if diplomacy fails, shifting from defense to offense, as reported by The Independent. Iran is also working to finalize a joint statement with Oman on managing ship transit through the strait, according to the same report. The full 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) was available for reading, the article noted.
Kushner's Gaza plan and Netanyahu's resistance
US envoy Jared Kushner, who is also President Trump's son-in-law, pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a four-hour meeting to accept a Gaza peace plan, but Netanyahu resisted, citing upcoming elections and insisting that Hamas must take the first step, The Independent reported. Separately, Netanyahu included New York City Mayor Mamdani on an "enemies poster" alongside Iran's Ayatollah, according to the same outlet.
Trump's 'economic D-Day' warning
In a related development, President Trump warned that he was planning to impose "economic D-Day" on the Islamic Republic, as reported by the New York Post. Trump wrote on Truth Social: "This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale." He added: "No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me. TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it." The president likened the operation to "an ECONOMIC D-DAY" that would require "our Allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat," according to the New York Post. This declaration came after the 60-day negotiation period expired Monday without a breakthrough.
Hunter Biden and Bill Maher clash
Hunter Biden appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" and claimed that Jared Kushner "is our unelected, unappointed emissary to the Middle East for war that nobody asked for. It's absurd!" Maher pushed back, saying "not nobody," to which Biden responded, "Oh, that's true. Bibi Netanyahu asked for it," referencing the Israeli prime minister. Maher then reminded Biden that "your father and every Democrat said Iran can't have nuclear weapons," as reported by the New York Post.