Iranian official warns against threat of US ground invasion

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As the war in the Middle East entered its fifth week on Sunday, a top official in Tehran said Iranian troops are ready to take on an American ground invasion.

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Meanwhile, diplomats representing Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Islamabad hoping to de-escalate tensions in the region.

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Following the meeting, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan will soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, though it’s unclear whether the talks would be direct or indirect.

The month-long war has claimed the lives of 3,000 people after the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered Iranian attacks on Israel and neighbouring Gulf Arab states.

Over one million people in Lebanon have been displaced as Israeli ground forces continue their military campaign into the southern part of the country, which Israel said was aimed at routing out Iran-backed Hezbollah from the region.

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Here is the latest from Sunday:

Iran’s parliamentary Speaker warns U.S. against ground invasion

Marking 30 days into the war, Iranian state media published a message from Iran’s parliamentary Speaker on Sunday, accusing the U.S. of publicly seeking talks while planning a ground assault.

“Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.

He said Iranian forces are “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire.”

Ghalibaf’s comments came as about 3,500 U.S. troops arrived in the Middle East.

On Sunday, the Washington Post published a report saying the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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The report said any U.S. ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by special operations forces and conventional infantry troops.

Pakistan hosts ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Islamabad as the countries discussed regional issues with a negotiated ceasefire of the Middle East war being top of mind.

At the end of the meeting, Dar said in a televised speech that talks between the U.S. and Iran will happen soon.

“Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the U.S. have expressed their confidence in Pakistan’s facilitation” of the talks, which will happen in the “coming days,” Dar said.

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There was no immediate word from the U.S. or Iran.

The meetings are expected to continue on Monday.

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Oil industry official wants quick action to reopen strait

The head of the U.S. oil and natural industry’s top lobbying group said “the only real solution” to rising energy and consumer prices as a result of the war with Iran is to get the Strait of Hormuz open.

“If we can do that this week with targeted regime actions, I think we have to take that opportunity because it’s only going to get worse over time,” said Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute.

Sommers told Fox News Channel’s The Sunday Briefing that “artery has to be reopened and fast” because “the longer this goes on, the higher prices are going to go.”

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Iran has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz by deciding which ships can get through. The impact of the blockade is being felt worldwide as the waterway is a crucial route for oil exports from the Persian Gulf.

Death toll in Lebanon exceeds 1,200 people

More than 1,200 people are dead and at least 3,500 people were also wounded since the start of the latest military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Among the dead are 52 health workers.

Israel launched intense airstrikes over Lebanon after the Hezbollah militant group fired rockets toward northern Israel in solidarity with Iran on March 2.

Netanyahu says Israel will widen invasion of Lebanon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon.

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Netanyahu said Israel would expand what he called the “existing security strip” in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.

“We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he said on a visit to northern Israel, adding “Hezbollah still has residual capability to fire rockets at us.”

There were no immediate details.

Fire at industrial site in southern Israel

Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services warned that a missile or missile fragment that hit a factory near the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Sunday had set off a massive blaze and was upgraded to a hazardous materials incident.

Authorities evacuated people in the immediate area, but there were no injuries.

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The Israeli Defence Forces said the fire may have been caused by missile shrapnel shortly after it detected a new barrage fired from Iran.

Israel’s fire and rescue services said the fragment set a pesticide tank on fire, sending plumes of smoke high over Beersheba, the largest city in Israel’s Negev desert. Additional waves of launches of missiles from Iran hit over 20 sites in Beersheba, but did not create major damage nor injuries, according to Israel’s emergency rescue service Magen David Adom.

— With files from The Associated Press.

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