Paris (France) (AFP) – The latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **Gunboats fire on tanker**
Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime security agency reported. The tanker’s captain reported being approached 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman by two gunboats of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), which without any radio warning “then fired upon the tanker,” the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said in an online statement. “Tanker and crew are reported safe. Authorities are investigating.”
– **Supreme leader’s warning**
A statement said to have been issued by Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Tehran’s navy was ready to defeat US forces. In a statement on his Telegram channel, Khamenei — who has not been seen in public since before the start of the war — said Iran’s “brave navy stands ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats.”
– **No date for talks**
No date has been set for the next round of Iran-US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of the first one, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said. “Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set the date,” Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists. “Now we are focusing on finalising the framework of understanding between two sides. We don’t want to enter into any negotiation or meeting which is due to failure which can be pretext for another round of escalation,” he said.
– **’Trump talks a lot’**
US President Donald Trump “tweets a lot,” Khatibzadeh also said, after Washington threatened fresh strikes if no deal was reached with Tehran. “The American side tweets a lot, talks a lot. Sometimes confusing, sometimes, you know, contradictory,” he told journalists.
– **Egypt hopeful of peace**
Egypt and Pakistan are working “very hard” as mediators to bring about “a final agreement between the United States and Iran,” Egypt’s foreign minister said. “We hope to do so (reach an agreement) in the coming days,” Badr Abdelatty said, adding: “We are pushing very hard in order to move forward.”
– **Hormuz closed again**
Iran’s central military command said it would resume “strict management” of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington. In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had broken a promise by continuing its naval blockade of ships sailing to and from Iran’s ports.
– **Turkey slams Israel**
Turkey’s foreign minister accused Israel of using security as a pretext to acquire “more land.” “Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land. Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land,” Hakan Fidan told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
– **Pakistan war diplomacy**
Pakistan’s powerful military chief and prime minister concluded separate visits aimed at ending the Iran war, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and premier Shehbaz Sharif headed home from Turkey. Munir met Iran’s top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said. A second round of talks between the United States and Iran is expected in Islamabad this coming week.
– **Iranian airspace partially opened**
Iran partially reopened its airspace to international flights crossing the eastern part of its territory. “Air routes in the eastern section of the country’s airspace are open for international flights transiting through Iran,” the country’s Civil Aviation Authority said, adding that some airports had also reopened.
– **Trump says blockade may ‘remain’**
President Donald Trump said late Friday he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration. A ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday. “Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked if the ceasefire will be extended. Asked about a potential deal, Trump said, “I think it’s going to happen.”
burs-ach/rmb
© 2024 AFP
