[Anchor]
U.S. President Donald Trump is continuing to unleash harsh rhetoric against Iran. This time, he has threatened to "obliterate" Iran if the country attempts to assassinate him. With Iran also responding with a hardline stance, declaring that "there will be no surrender," the thread of dialogue remains precariously thin.
Reporter Park Won-gyeong has the story.
[Reporter]
As of this afternoon, July 11, Korea Standard Time, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that if Iran were to actually attempt to assassinate him, he is prepared to obliterate the entire country of Iran.
This marks a significant escalation in the intensity of his remarks compared to when he first mentioned the Iranian assassination threat while changing planes on his way home from the NATO summit.
[Trump / U.S. President: I may not be safe either. As is already known, I am their top target for elimination. I am the number one target for those vicious people.]
Several hours earlier, he stated that while he agreed to Iran's request to continue dialogue, he firmly informed them that the "ceasefire is over."
This reaffirms his recent remarks at the NATO summit, where he said the end-of-war agreement "seems to be over."
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and lead negotiator, warned that this conflict will never end with Iran's surrender, adding that if the U.S. provokes them again, Iran will launch a full-scale defensive war.
[Amir Saeid Iravani / Iranian Ambassador to the UN: The United States must bear full responsibility for all legal and political consequences resulting from these illegal acts.]
As Iran's attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz escalate into potential military conflict between the two nations, compounded by this war of words, the prospects for negotiations are becoming increasingly uncertain.
While countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia are making mediation efforts, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who visited Oman to discuss the Strait of Hormuz issue, signaled a willingness to talk, stating that the only solution to the crisis is for the U.S. and Iran to abide by the end-of-war agreement.
Reports have also emerged that the U.S. has demanded Iran publicly declare a halt to merchant vessel attacks and open the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, and that Iran has conveyed the position that recent attacks on merchant ships were the work of rogue elements within its government.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that there are signs Iran has been conducting restoration work at nuclear facilities following the signing of the end-of-war Memorandum of Understanding, which is expected to be another variable in future negotiations.
(Video Editing: Chae Cheol-ho)
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