Middle East crisis live: Rubio says US-Iran agreement ‘pretty solid’ as oil price falls amid optimism for deal | US-Israel war on Iran
Summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s ongoing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio He said on Monday that a deal to end the war with Iran could happen “today.”
His comments came after oil prices fell and Asian stocks rose earlier in the day. WE And Iranian They were close to a deal that would bring a permanent end to the three-month war and reopen Israel. Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices are at two-week lows Brent crude oil Futures contracts were down 4.5% to $98.83 per barrel as of 23:50 GMT.
Rubio said of a potential deal in New Delhi: “We thought last night, maybe today, we might get some news; I wouldn’t read too much into it.”
“They have something that I think is pretty solid on the table in terms of their ability to open throats,” he said. “He has a lot of support in the Gulf.”
Rubio’s statements came after Donald Trump He tempered expectations for a deal on Sunday, saying he had told his negotiators to “take their time”. The US president said talks with Iran were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner.”
The United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war and reopen the strait, a vital conduit for global energy supplies, Middle Eastern officials told The Associated Press on Sunday.
On Sunday, Trump said the US blockade of Iranian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz “will remain in full effect until an agreement is reached, ratified and signed.” “Both parties need to take their time and do it right,” he added.
As details of the possible deal emerged over the weekend, critics including Trump’s former secretary of state Mike Pompeo He said it offered little beyond the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the former president Barack ObamaWhere Trump withdrew during his first term.
Chris Van HollenThe Democratic member of the Senate foreign relations committee said the reported outlines of the agreement would amount to little more than the “pre-war status quo” with Iran.
important events
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli attacks hit southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, as the Hezbollah leader expressed hope for a deal between Iran and the US This would also end hostilities in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health ministry put the total number of war deaths since March 2 at 3,123.
It was stated that two people, including a medical officer from the Islamic Health Committee affiliated with Hezbollah, were killed in Israeli raids on Sunday.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry condemned a “massacre”, stating that 11 people, including six women and one child, were killed in a single attack in Sir al-Gharbiya in the south the day before.
As stated, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah continued their attacks on each other despite the so-called ceasefire.
Hezbollah chief Naim Kasım He said: “I hope this [Iran-US] “The agreement will be finalized… and accordingly, we will be among those included in this agreement,” we demand a complete end to hostilities.
After Kasım’s speech, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio He accused Hezbollah of trying to plunge Lebanon into chaos again.
Israel announced the killing of a soldier in Southern Lebanon on MondayThe number of soldiers killed in the war with Iran-backed Hezbollah increased to 23.
A military statement quoted by AFP said he was 19 years old. Sergeant Nehoray Leizer “killed in action in southern Lebanon” from the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion.
The Israeli army also stated on Telegram that “another soldier was seriously injured” during the incident in which Leizer was killed.
Since the clashes resumed on March 2, a total of 24 Israelis, 23 soldiers and one civilian, have been killed in the clashes.
Marco Rubio also told reporters in New Delhi that “Israel always has the right to protect itself.”.
The US Secretary of State was quoted as saying, “If Hezbollah is going to launch missiles or launch missiles at them, Israel has the right to respond or prevent that from happening.”
This has always been understood. It was understood during the ceasefire.”
Israel and Hezbollah have continued commercial attacks during the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which began on April 16 and was recently extended for 45 days.
A potential deal between the US and Iran to end the war would also reportedly require Israel to halt its offensive in Lebanon.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu He said this on Sunday Donald Trump He reaffirmed his support for Israel’s right to “defend itself against threats on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
Summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s ongoing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio He said on Monday that a deal to end the war with Iran could happen “today.”
His comments came after oil prices fell and Asian stocks rose earlier in the day. WE And Iranian They were close to a deal that would bring a permanent end to the three-month war and reopen Israel. Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices are at two-week lows Brent crude oil Futures contracts were down 4.5% to $98.83 per barrel as of 23:50 GMT.
Rubio said of a potential deal in New Delhi: “We thought last night, maybe today, we might get some news; I wouldn’t read too much into it.”
“They have something that I think is pretty solid on the table in terms of their ability to open throats,” he said. “He has a lot of support in the Gulf.”
Rubio’s statements came after Donald Trump He tempered expectations for a deal on Sunday, saying he had told his negotiators to “take their time”. The US president said talks with Iran were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner.”
The United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war and reopen the strait, a vital conduit for global energy supplies, Middle Eastern officials told The Associated Press on Sunday.
On Sunday, Trump said the US blockade of Iranian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz “will remain in full effect until an agreement is reached, ratified and signed.” “Both parties need to take their time and do it right,” he added.
As details of the possible deal emerged over the weekend, critics including Trump’s former secretary of state Mike Pompeo He said it offered little beyond the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the former president Barack ObamaWhere Trump withdrew during his first term.
Chris Van HollenThe Democratic member of the Senate foreign relations committee said the reported outlines of the agreement would amount to little more than the “pre-war status quo” with Iran.
