Iran Attacks Continue Amid Trump’s Talk Claims

Trump also delayed the deadline for Iran to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz to shipping or have its power plants targeted by air strikes, briefly lowering oil prices and increasing inventories.

The delay provided a reprieve after the United States and Iran threatened attacks over the weekend that could knock out power to millions in Iran and around the Gulf and knock out desalination plants that supply drinking water to many desert countries; This has increased fears of a possible disaster if nuclear power plants are hit.

But any information about the talks disclosed by Trump remains disputed with Iran, which has denied any talks took place.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in his post on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said that even if the US considers a ceasefire, Israel will continue to attack Iran and Lebanon.

“There is so much more,” he said.

While Israel is attacking Beirut, Iran is hitting Israel and its neighbors in the Gulf. Israeli Home Front Command said that Iran fired three waves of missiles at Israel in the early hours of Tuesday and there were reports that this was also effective in the north of the country.

Meanwhile, Israel struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, saying it was targeting infrastructure used by the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group.

In Kuwait, power lines were hit by air defense shrapnel, causing partial power outages within a few hours. Missile warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said it had destroyed 19 Iranian drones targeting the oil-rich Eastern Province.

Oil prices briefly fell below $100 a barrel after Trump claimed his government was in talks to end the war. But this rest was short-lived; The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose to $104 a barrel in morning trading; This is up more than 40% since Israel and the United States began fighting on February 28.

Iran remains skeptical of Trump’s intentions for extension Trump initially set a late Monday Washington time deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants, but on Monday gave Tehran five more days to comply.

Iran has allowed a small number of ships to pass through the strait, which extends from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, but has said it will continue to target ships linked to the United States, Israel or its allies.

Its leaders are wary of Washington’s intentions, in part because Tehran had been negotiating with the United States before the surprise attack that started the war. Iran also held talks last year when the US and Israel attacked their nuclear facilities, starting a 12-day war.

Trump’s extension of the deadline came as a contingent of thousands of sailors set out for the region; This increases speculation that the United States may try to seize Kharg Island, which is located off the coast of Iran and is vital to the country’s oil network.

The United States bombed the island in the Persian Gulf more than a week ago, hitting its defenses but leaving its oil infrastructure intact, it said.

Iran has threatened that it could mine the Persian Gulf if the United States is on the verge of landing its troops, which would make an amphibious assault difficult and also endanger all shipping in the region.

The delay could coincide with the arrival of US Marines to the region, expected on Friday, an analysis by New York-based think tank Soufan Center said.

“As Trump has done in the past, he could then deploy military assets to prepare for the invasion and seizure of Kharg Island and use negotiations as cover until those assets are fully combat-ready.”

But the center also said that “Trump may be actively seeking an alternative. It remains to be seen whether Iran will reciprocate.”

Trump said he had no plans to send ground forces to Iran, but did not rule it out. Israel suggested that ground forces could join the war.

The Iranian Ministry of Health announced that the death toll in Iran exceeded 1,500. 15 people lost their lives in Iranian attacks in Israel. At least 13 US soldiers have been killed, as well as more than a dozen civilians, in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states.