Tehran (AFP) – Iran warned on Thursday that the shaky ceasefire in the three-month Middle East war was now “practically meaningless” following fresh strikes by the United States that saw Tehran respond with attacks around the region. The war, which began on February 28 with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was paused by the April truce, but efforts to hammer out a permanent end to the fighting have stalled and sporadic exchanges of fire have put the ceasefire under repeated strain.
In their second straight day of tit-for-tat attacks, Washington hit surveillance, communications, and air defense facilities, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced a “punitive operation” targeting a US base in Jordan, and Gulf states reported incoming fire. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar suggested backchannel efforts to negotiate an end to the war were ongoing in spite of the flare-up, though Islamabad cautioned it was “hard to be an optimist” in light of the latest escalation.
The strikes took place while a Qatari delegation was in Tehran for talks, with a diplomatic source saying the discussions lasted into the early hours of the morning and were “conducted in coordination with the United States”. US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly maintained negotiations with Tehran were close to a deal, said on Wednesday that Iran keeps “playing us for suckers” and will now “have to pay the price”. Hours after, CENTCOM said US forces began strikes early Thursday in Iran, later adding it had completed its attacks. Iranian media reported explosions across the south, with at least three people wounded in Tehran province. Jordan said it had shot down 20 Iranian missiles, while Kuwait’s military said its air defenses had engaged “hostile aerial targets”. Bahrain, which hosts a US naval base, said an 11-year-old girl suffered minor injuries and homes and cars were damaged by “sinful Iranian aggression”.
The renewed hostilities came as Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that if Trump required it, “we’ll negotiate with bombs”. Iran’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that “the illegal and criminal attacks perpetrated by the United States in recent hours not only constitute a flagrant violation… but also render the ceasefire practically meaningless.” But a foreign ministry spokesman for mediator Pakistan, which hosted an initial round of talks between the warring parties, said it had not “lost hope” in a negotiated resolution. Still, said Tahir Andrabi, “It is hard to be an optimist in the new exchange of hostilities.”
Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which also came under Iranian attack during the war, called for de-escalation on Thursday, with Riyadh “urging all parties to prioritize wisdom” by resuming peace talks. China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, likewise called for more negotiations on Thursday, with a foreign ministry spokesperson urging the warring parties “to immediately cease military operations…(and) respond to the mediation efforts”. Tehran’s ally Russia echoed the sentiment, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the escalation risked more “negative consequences for the situation in the region and the global economy”.
Majid, a 35-year-old pharmacist in Tehran, said he was “deeply worried” by the attacks and their knock-on effects on daily life for Iranians already facing economic hardship. “I am absolutely not optimistic about the agreement being finalized, because the gap between the two countries is too wide,” he said, blaming the lack of progress on Israel — which also traded fire with Iran in recent days — as well as hardliners at home. Fox reporter Trey Yingst, who spoke to Trump, quoted the president as saying that if Iran did not accept US terms for ending the war, “We’ll bomb the S out of them tomorrow night.” “We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday morning. Hegseth also suggested the strikes could extend into a third night.
Iran has renewed its warnings over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas transport which it has essentially closed since early in the war, roiling global energy markets. Iran’s new body overseeing the strait on Thursday confirmed it “will be closed until further notice”. Majid Mousavi, the head of the Iranian Guards’ aerospace force, had promised to “make the region hell” for Tehran’s enemies over their conduct in the waterway.
On Wednesday, three Indian sailors on a commercial vessel were killed when the United States attacked the ship off the coast of Oman, New Delhi said Thursday, summoning a US diplomat to lodge a protest. The Iranian navy said it had also hit two ships trying to sail through the strait, state television IRIB and the Mehr agency reported. On Thursday, CENTCOM said it had disabled another tanker, the Jalveer, for allegedly attempting to evade a US counter-blockade of Iranian ports. The Indian embassy in Oman said on X that the crew of the ship were being evacuated by the Omani navy, without specifying their nationality.
© 2024 AFP
