In a recent development on Thursday, Donald Trump assured that he is not feeling rushed in the Middle East conflict, where the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, in effect for two weeks, appears to be hanging by a thread.
Reports from Iranian media indicated explosions in Tehran in the evening, marking the first incident since the ceasefire came into effect on April 8. The ceasefire, initially set to end on Wednesday, was unilaterally extended by the United States.
Prior to this, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed readiness to resume war, awaiting approval from the US to bring Iran back to the “stone age.”
Despite the arrival of the USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier in the Middle East, increasing the number of deployed US aircraft carriers to three in the region, Donald Trump emphasized that he was not eager to end hostilities.
During an event at the White House, Trump stated that he had no intention of using nuclear weapons against Iran, highlighting that Iran had been completely defeated in a conventional manner.
The conflict, which began on February 28 with an Israeli-American offensive against Tehran, has resulted in thousands of casualties, primarily in Iran and Lebanon. Diplomatic negotiations to end the conflict have been ongoing, with talks between Americans and Iranians in Islamabad still pending.
The situation is further complicated by tensions surrounding the strategic maritime chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, subject to dual blockades by the US and Iran. Both parties have been seizing and inspecting ships, while Trump has ordered the US Navy to “shoot down” any boats laying mines in the strait, affecting global oil prices which surged by over 5% on Thursday.
Moving to Lebanon, where a ceasefire between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah has been in effect since April 17, tensions escalated as three individuals were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday. In response to perceived ceasefire violations by the Israeli army, Hezbollah launched rockets at northern Israel.
Representatives from Israel and Lebanon met in Washington for a second round of talks hosted by Donald Trump, deemed as a “surrender” by Hezbollah. Following the discussions, Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between the two countries, expressing optimism about the possibility of securing a peace agreement by the end of the year.
The conflict in Lebanon has resulted in at least 2,454 confirmed casualties within six weeks of the war.
