Iran: US Broke Truce, Election Votes Loom in US, Israel

An interim agreement meant to end fighting involving the US and Israel has collapsed, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian placing blame on Washington.

Pezeshkian's remarks aired Saturday on Iranian Press TV. He also called for both sides to return to the deal and "conclude it".

Military action could resume as soon as this weekend. US President Donald Trump said Friday that he "may do another little Epic Fury", using the code name for the war against Iran that began February 28. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said limited strikes would draw a response "several times greater", according to the semi-official Fars News Agency. Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi said Saturday that US forces would not be allowed into the Gulf "under any circumstances and at any time", adding that Trump could only "dream" of such an entry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he remains committed to changing Iran's government. Netanyahu faces Israeli voters on Tuesday. Trump's Republican Party faces midterms on November 3, where Democrats could win both chambers of Congress. Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Saturday that Tehran does not "wait for permission to defend itself" and will "respond to any aggression with severe consequences".

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss corruption and compensation for Iranians affected by the war. Khamenei took the role after his father was killed in the opening strikes on February 28 and has not appeared publicly since early March. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who leads negotiations, met Khamenei earlier this week.