Hopes of securing a peace agreement with Iran have faded after Donald Trump said a ceasefire was “on life support” as Tehran rejected a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict and maintained a list of demands the US president dismissed as “garbage”, reports RTE.
Iran has demanded an end to the fighting across all fronts, including in Lebanon where Israel, a key US ally, is engaged in conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Tehran also stressed its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, called for compensation over war damage and demanded an end to the US naval blockade, among other conditions, reports RTE.
Mr Trump, who is due to discuss the conflict with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing this week, said Iran’s response had put the ceasefire announced on 17 April at risk.
“I would call it the weakest right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us. I didn’t even finish reading it,” Mr Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to end the ceasefire, told reporters yesterday. “It’s on life support”, reports RTE.
The United States had proposed halting the fighting before moving on to negotiations over more disputed issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.
Brent crude oil futures continued to rise, climbing above $107 a barrel, as the deadlock left the Strait of Hormuz largely shut. Before the war began on 28 February, the narrow passage handled around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments and has since become a key flashpoint in the conflict, reports RTE.
US Central Command said the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was operating in the Arabian Sea enforcing the US blockade, after redirecting 65 commercial vessels and disabling four others.
The Pentagon said the cost of the war has now reached $29 billion, up by $4 billion from estimates provided late last month. An official told politicians the updated figure included repair and replacement costs for equipment as well as operational expenses, reports RTE.
The conflict has also pushed up petrol prices across the United States, where consumer prices increased sharply for a second consecutive month in April, contributing to the largest annual rise in inflation in almost three years.
Polls indicate the war is unpopular among US voters less than six months before nationwide elections that will determine whether Mr Trump’s Republican Party keeps control of Congress, reports RTE.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed yesterday found that two-thirds of Americans, including one in three Republicans and nearly all Democrats, believe Mr Trump has not clearly explained why the country entered the war.
Mr Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing tomorrow, reports RTE.
The US president wants China to persuade Tehran to strike a deal with Washington to bring the conflict to an end. China continues to maintain relations with Iran and remains one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil exports.
China’s foreign ministry has said the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz does not serve the shared interests of the international community, reports RTE.
The US yesterday introduced new sanctions targeting individuals and companies accused of helping Iran export oil to China, as part of efforts to cut off funding for Tehran’s military and nuclear programmes. Washington also warned banks about attempts to bypass existing restrictions.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed Islamabad’s ongoing mediation efforts aimed at bringing the conflict to an end today, reports RTE.
Iranian officials stand firm
Iranian officials, meanwhile, continued to project defiance despite mounting US pressure.
A report from the Fars news agency quoted Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy political director of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, as saying Iran had broadened its definition of the Strait of Hormuz into a “vast operational area” under a new strategy, reports RTE.
Iranian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Akbarzadeh’s remarks, which described the zone as stretching from the coastal city of Jask in the east to Siri Island in the west.
A spokesperson for Iran’s defence ministry said any fresh attack by an enemy would trigger an immediate response, according to state media. In Tehran, the Revolutionary Guards carried out military exercises “centred on preparation to confront the enemy”, state television reported, reports RTE.
LNG tanker goes through Strait of Hormuz
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains extremely limited. A second Qatari LNG tanker successfully passed through the waterway today, days after the first cargo crossed under an arrangement involving Iran and Pakistan.
As countries continued preparing for the aftermath of any future peace agreement, Britain announced it would contribute autonomous mine-hunting equipment, fighter jets and the warship HMS Dragon to a multinational defensive operation aimed at protecting shipping in the strait, reports RTE.
Defence Minister John Healey announced the contribution during a virtual summit involving more than 40 defence ministers from nations participating in the mission, which he said would become operational once conditions permitted.
Meanwhile, Kuwait summoned Iran’s ambassador and handed over a formal protest note regarding what it described as the infiltration of Bubiyan Island by armed members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and clashes involving Kuwaiti armed forces, the foreign ministry said, reports RTE.
There was no immediate response from Iran, reports RTE.
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