Donald Trump indicated on Friday that he was waiting for a response from the Iranians to a proposal aimed at permanently ending hostilities “in the evening”.
This Saturday, Iran indicated that it was questioning the seriousness of American diplomacy in the ongoing negotiations to find a solution to the conflict in the Middle East, without communicating its response to the latest Washington proposal. A month after the ceasefire came into effect, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed skepticism during a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, following new clashes in the waters of the Gulf.
“The recent escalation of tensions by American forces and their numerous ceasefire violations strengthen suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American party on the path of diplomacy,” said Abbas Araghchi, quoted by the Iranian news agency Isna. In Washington, President Donald Trump had said on Friday that he was expecting a response from the Iranians to a proposal aimed at permanently ending hostilities. “I should receive a letter tonight, so we’ll see how it goes,” he assured journalists. The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismaël Baghaï, quoted by state television, had indicated that Iran was still studying the American proposal.
“Flagrant violation” of the ceasefire
Since the start of the war on February 28, triggered by an Israeli-American attack on Iran, Tehran has locked the strategic Strait of Hormuz, to which Washington responded by imposing a blockade of Iranian ports on April 13. The US military announced on Friday that they had “neutralized” two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman through airstrikes, the gateway to the strait, a strategic passage for global hydrocarbon trade. Although the vessels were not carrying cargo according to the military, images released by the Central Command for the region (Centcom) show thick columns of smoke emanating from the pilot houses.
Iran reported to the UN a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire. A military source cited by the Tasnim news agency confirmed that Iranian forces had responded. “After a period of exchanges of fire, the clashes have currently stopped and calm has returned,” it stated. The war has resulted in thousands of deaths, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and has shaken the global economy. The standoff between Tehran and Washington in Hormuz has caused oil prices to soar. The Brent barrel from the North Sea ended the week once again above $100.
50-square-kilometer oil slick
The UK announced on Saturday that it would “reposition a destroyer in the Middle East” currently in the Mediterranean, in anticipation of the deployment of a future international mission to secure transport in the Strait of Hormuz, an initiative co-led by France. According to satellite images released on Friday, a 50-square-kilometer oil slick was detected in the Gulf off the Iranian island of Kharg, the country’s main oil terminal through which 90% of Iran’s crude oil normally passes.
According to the Conflict and Environment Observatory, a UK-based NGO, the slick had significantly reduced on Saturday. “There is no official information about oil leaks near the Kharg Island,” affirmed the leader of the Iranian parliamentary energy committee quoted by Isna.
One death in Lebanon
On the other front of the conflict, in Lebanon, Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah continue their daily mutual attacks, despite the ceasefire in effect since April 17, which both sides accuse each other of violating. The Israeli army again ordered the immediate evacuation of several localities in the south of the country on Saturday for attacks against the Shiite movement. The Lebanese news agency ANI then reported a series of Israeli strikes in this region, as well as three strikes about 20 km south of Beirut.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, an Israeli drone targeted a motorbike three times in the city of Nabatiye, killing a Syrian national and seriously injuring his 12-year-old daughter. Hezbollah then declared that they had targeted the army in northern Israel. The pro-Iranian movement dragged Beirut into the war on March 2, resuming its attacks on Israel after the joint offensive by the US and Israel against Iran.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon have resulted in 2750 deaths since the start of the war, according to the Friday statement from the Ministry of Health. New discussions between the two neighboring countries – still technically at war – are scheduled in Washington on May 14 and 15. Hezbollah opposes this.
