| |
Israel Launches New Strikes 03/27 05:58
Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Iran on Friday after U.S. President
Donald Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran
more time to open the Strait of Hormuz, though there have been no signs of Iran
backing down.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Israel launched a new wave of strikes on
Iran on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed talks on ending the
war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz,
though there have been no signs of Iran backing down.
With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending far
beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran's chokehold
on the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil is
usually shipped.
The United States has offered Iran a 15-point proposal for a ceasefire that
includes it relinquishing control of the strait, but at the same time has
ordered thousands more troops to the region -- possibly in preparation for a
military attempt to wrest the waterway from Iran's tight grip.
With time running out on a deadline set by Trump for Iran to open the
strait, after which he had threatened to destroy Iran's energy plants, he
pushed his self-imposed deadline back to April 6 on Thursday, saying that talks
on ending the conflict were going "very well." Iran, however, maintains it is
not engaged in any negotiations.
Israel's attack Friday "in the heart of Tehran" targeted sites used by Iran
to produce ballistic missiles and other weapons, the Israeli military said. It
also hit missile launchers and storage sites in western Iran.
Smoke also rose over Beirut after a pre-dawn strike, and Lebanon's Health
Ministry later reported two people were killed. Air raid sirens sounded in
Israel as the military said it was working to intercept Iranian missiles and
Iran kept firing missiles and drones at its Gulf Arab neighbors, with sirens
warning of attacks in Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said it shot down both missiles and drones
targeting the capital, Riyadh.
Kuwait said both its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the Mubarak Al Kabeer
Port to the north, which is under construction as part of China's "Belt and
Road" initiative, had sustained "material damage" in attacks.
It appeared to be one of the first times a Chinese-affiliated project in the
Gulf Arab states came under assault in the war. Throughout the conflict, China
has continued to purchase Iranian crude.
After Wall Street's worst day since the war began, Asian shares mostly fell
Friday over growing doubts about the chances of de-escalation. Oil prices rose
again, the Brent crude, the international standard, at $107 a barrel in morning
trading, up more than 45% since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to
start the war.
US pushing diplomatic solution but sending more troops to the region
Iran's stranglehold on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, has caused
growing concerns of a global energy crisis, and appears part of a strategy to
get the U.S. to back down by roiling the world economy. A Gulf Arab bloc said
Thursday that Iran is now exacting tolls from ships to ensure their safe
passage through the waterway.
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington had delivered a 15-point "action
list" to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary. The
list includes restrictions on Iran's nuclear program and re-opening the Strait
of Hormuz.
Iran has rejected the U.S. offer and put forth its own five-point proposal,
which includes reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait
of Hormuz.
Diplomats from several countries have been trying to organize a direct
meeting between envoys from the U.S. and Iran, possibly in Pakistan.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that the country's
foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, held phone calls the day before with his
Turkish and Pakistani counterparts as part of their "intensive efforts" to
organize the talks.
Abdelatty said he hoped the tri-country effort would result in "gradual
de-escalation efforts that would ultimately lead to the end of the war."
As the diplomatic efforts went on, a group of U.S. ships drew closer to the
region with some 2,500 Marines. Also, at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd
Airborne -- trained to land in hostile territory to secure key territory and
airfields -- have been ordered to the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council is to hold closed consultation on Iran
on Friday, according to two U.N. diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity
because the meeting is not public.
They added that Russia had asked for the meeting on U.S.-Israeli attacks on
civilian infrastructure in the country, that the U.S., which holds the Security
Council presidency, had scheduled it.
Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the
humanitarian organization's teams in Iran have reported that "countless homes,
hospitals and schools have been damaged or destroyed," and that nearly every
neighborhood in Tehran has sustained damage.
"Civilians are paying the highest price for this war -- it must end" he said
in a statement.
The International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000
civilian buildings, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people have
been damaged in Iran so far.
"If this war continues, we risk a far wider humanitarian disaster," Egeland
said. "Millions could be forced to flee across borders, placing immense
pressure on an already overstretched region."
Deaths continue to climb, primarily in Iran and Lebanon
The Israeli army said Thursday it had deployed the 162nd Division into
southern Lebanon, joining thousands of troops that were moved there after the
war erupted. Israel says the open-ended invasion is aimed at protecting its
northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks and uprooting the militant group
from the area.
Eighteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have also
been killed in Lebanon. Two Israeli soldiers were severely injured in Lebanon
on Friday during an "operational accident," the military said.
Authorities said more than 1,100 people have died in Lebanon and more than
1,900 people have been killed in Iran.
At least 13 American troops have been killed and four people in the occupied
West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states have also died.
In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict,
80 members of the security forces have been killed.
|
|
