(AFP) – The latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **End of ceasefire**
The two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran will expire at midnight GMT Tuesday, Iran state television said. Earlier, mediator Pakistan stated that the truce would end at 2350 GMT on Tuesday.
– **Lebanon ups toll**
Lebanon raised the toll from six weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah to 2,454 dead as a fragile 10-day ceasefire holds.
– **Waiting on Tehran**
Mediator Pakistan has yet to receive a formal response from Iran regarding whether it would send a delegation for a second round of talks with the United States, according to Islamabad’s information minister.
– **US position called ‘strong’**
US President Donald Trump touted what he described as Washington’s strong negotiation position as his envoys prepared for talks with Iran in Pakistan to end the Middle East conflict. “We’re going to end up with a great deal. I think they (Iran) have no choice … We’re in a very, very strong negotiating position,” Trump told broadcaster CNBC.
– **Trump accuses Iran**
“Iran has violated the ceasefire numerous times!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, referring to the two-week truce set to expire by Wednesday, after which the Middle East potentially could plunge back into open conflict.
– **Seafarers’ SOS**
The head of the UN maritime agency appealed for help for thousands of seafarers stranded in the Gulf due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Around 20,000 seafarers and 2,000 ships have been stranded since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began the Middle East war on February 28, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
– **Hezbollah mass burials**
Hezbollah announced it will hold mass funerals in south Lebanon for 44 fighters killed during the more than six weeks of war with Israel. The Iran-backed group has not disclosed the total number of its fighters killed since Israel launched a massive wave of airstrikes and a ground invasion in Lebanon last month.
– **No Iranian departure**
“So far, no delegation from Iran has departed for Islamabad, Pakistan; whether it is the main or subsidiary delegation; primary or secondary,” Iranian state TV reported, dismissing suggestions to the contrary. A source familiar with the US planning for the talks told AFP that an American delegation will head to Pakistan “soon” for a new round of peace negotiations.
– **Israel pressure**
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that his country’s campaign in Lebanon relies on both military and diplomatic pressure to disarm Iran-allied Hezbollah. “The overarching goal of the campaign in Lebanon is to disarm Hezbollah and remove the threat to the northern communities (of Israel), through a combination of military and diplomatic measures,” Katz said.
© 2024 AFP
