Israel launched strikes across Iran on Thursday. This occurred hours after US President Donald Trump said Tehran wanted a deal to end the nearly four-week war. However, Tehran’s top diplomat rejected any talks with Washington.
The conflict has expanded significantly. It is drawing in nations around the Middle East. This situation is sending energy markets into a tailspin and threatening to torpedo the global economy.
Iran has been under near-daily bombardment since a joint US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28. It was hit early on Thursday by what the Israeli army said was “a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure”. These strikes include those in the central city of Isfahan.
In turn, an Iranian missile attack activated sirens across central Israel, including Tel Aviv and parts of Jerusalem, on Thursday morning, according to the Israeli military, the first launches it identified from Iran in more than 14 hours.
Trump, whose daily statements have swung wildly from threatening to conciliatory, said talks to end the war were ongoing with Iran. However, he mentioned that officials in Tehran were covering them up out of fear.
“They are negotiating, by the way. They really want to make a deal,” Trump told a dinner for Republican members of Congress.
“But they’re afraid to say it, because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people,” he said. “They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us.”
The Islamic republic’s top diplomat slapped down Trump’s comments, saying the country did not intend to negotiate.
“We seek an end to the war on our own terms. It should not be repeated here again,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV.*
Pakistan has passed on a 15-point US plan to stop the fighting to Tehran, two officials in Islamabad said.
But Iran’s state media Press TV cited an unidentified official saying Tehran had “responded negatively” to the proposal.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “does not bluff.” He is prepared to unleash hell on Iran if no deal is struck.
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, meanwhile, said that both sides being open to talks is a positive sign. This openness offered a “glimmer of hope” for peace.
Iranian conditions
According to The New York Times, the 15-point US plan addresses Iran’s contested nuclear and missile programmes. It also includes “maritime routes”.
Tehran has largely blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz oil route in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, pushing up global energy prices.
The Iranian official quoted by Press TV said Tehran had put forward its own five conditions for hostilities to end.
These include guarantees that the United States and Israel do not resume the war and compensation for war damages.
Iranians marched in support of the country’s military in the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday. They waved the country’s flag and held pictures of new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
The head of the US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, claimed on Wednesday that Washington has hit two-thirds of Iran’s production facilities for missiles and drones. It has also targeted a similar proportion of its naval production.
Iran has continued to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel. It also targets Gulf nations. Iran accuses these nations of serving as launchpads for US strikes.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted at least 18 drones. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) responded to a new missile and drone attack. Bahrain reported a fire at a facility caused by “Iranian aggression.” Bahraini authorities did not provide further details.
Kuwait reported a new missile and drone attack on Thursday. This was a day after a drone hit a fuel tank and sparked a fire at Kuwait International Airport.
No Lebanon ‘surrender’
Israeli military actions in Lebanon have also intensified since the Iran war. Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on March 2. They did this to avenge Khamenei’s killing.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel would amount to “surrender.” Early on Thursday, the group launched missiles at military sites in central Israel. Air raid sirens sounded in the area.
The group said its fighters launched more than 80 attacks against Israel on Wednesday. This was the largest daily number in the current war. They also attacked Israeli forces in nine border towns.
The fighting showed little sign of respite. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the military created a genuine security zone in southern Lebanon. He added that they were expanding it.
“We are simply creating a larger buffer zone,” he said. This could prevent a ground invasion of Israel. It could also stop missile attacks, according to a video shared by his office.
Markets mixed
Thousands more US troops are reportedly headed to the Middle East. Iran has threatened to open a new front. They may target Red Sea shipping if the United States launches a ground invasion.
If the US initiates a ground invasion, Iran plans to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This strait connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. It also connects to the Suez Canal, an unnamed military official told local media.
The divergent messages on talks and de-escalation saw oil prices rise on Thursday. Equities were mixed as investors tracked developments. Recently, investors were buoyed by Trump appearing to step back from the goal of regime change earlier in the week.
Crude prices are down from last week. However, uncertainty remains. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Twenty per cent of oil and gas passes through it. This situation continues to cast a shadow.
Araghchi assured the strait was “closed only to enemies” of Iran.
“There is no reason to allow the ships of our enemies and their allies to pass,” he said.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif appeared to take a jab at the US operation. His government has offered to host talks between Iranian and American envoys to stop the war. The operation has closed the key waterway.
“The goal of the war seems to have shifted. The focus is now on opening the Strait of Hormuz. It was open before the war,” Khawaja Asif posted on X, alongside hand-clapping emojis.
The Author
Discover more from News Network Plus
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
