US President Donald Trump said Iran was “finished” on Friday, June 19, after reports emerged that Tehran had suspended a newly launched negotiation process with the United States.
“We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!” Trump wrote on social media.
In a separate post, Trump claimed the conflict had significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities.
“The War has diminished Iran! It doesn’t, any longer, have an Air Force, a Navy, Antiaircraft Equipment, Radar, or practically anything else,” he wrote.
His remarks came after Iranian state-linked media outlets reported that Tehran had frozen a 60-day negotiation framework agreed with Washington and postponed the first round of talks that was expected to take place in Switzerland.
The diplomatic process stemmed from a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on June 17 by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The agreement outlined steps to end the conflict, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin negotiations aimed at resolving key issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme.
According to the reports, Iran suspended the process over Israeli military strikes in southern Lebanon, which it viewed as a breach of the understanding.
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire renewed
The developments coincided with a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah following a sharp escalation in violence along the Lebanon-Israel border.
According to two regional officials and a US official, the truce was brokered by Qatar, the United States and Iran. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately commented on the agreement.
The ceasefire followed overnight Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities said at least 47 people were killed and 91 others wounded in attacks on 11 towns. Israel said it had targeted more than 80 Hezbollah-linked sites.
