War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Israel’s military says it is striking Hezbollah targets in the Tyre area of south Lebanon, reports AFP.

“The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the area of Tyre in southern Lebanon,” the army said in a statement, hours after issuing evacuation warnings for five towns and villages.

An AFP correspondent saw strikes in the area.

In a separate statement, the military said “a number of explosive drones” had fallen in several areas of northern Israel, with no injuries reported.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the US and Iran are in a “very shaky ceasefire”.

However, he maintained that Iran was “trying to keep in order to give diplomacy a chance, so a diplomatic and negotiated solution can be found

There is no military solution to anything related to Iran,” Aragchi reiterated.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the latest developments in the US-Israeli war on Iran, IRNA reports.

Araghchi briefed Jaishankar on the status of the current fragile ceasefire and the ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the war.

Additionally, the two sides consulted and exchanged views on the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security developments, and regional stability.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has blamed what he calls “contradictory messages” from Washington for complicating negotiations, Al Jazeera reports, citing IRIB.

In comments carried by Iran’s IRIB broadcaster, Araghchi said Iran is not to blame for disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and that Tehran did not initiate the war and is only defending itself.

Araghchi reiterated Iran’s position that the strait is now open to vessels of “friendly countries”, as long as they coordinate with Iranian officials, and only closed to Iran’s “enemies”.

India has issued a chair’s statement at the conclusion of the annual Brics foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi instead of a joint statement and said there were differing views among some members on the situation in the Middle East, Reuters reports.

Brics includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

Iran and the UAE are on opposing sides in Tehran’s war with the US and Israel.

Israel has said that its air force has intercepted “a suspicious aerial target” in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

Target was identified a short while ago in the airspace where its military is currently operating in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli strike has targeted a motorcycle in the southern Lebanese town of al-Majadel, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says according to Al Jazeera.

There was no immediate report on casualties.

Israel’s military said it has attacked and destroyed a rocket launcher that Hezbollah fighters had used to fire rockets towards northern Israel, Al Jazeera reports.

Iran’s internet blackout has entered its 77th day after passing 1,824 hours, according to NetBlocks.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will accelerate construction of a new oil pipeline to double its export capacity through Fujairah, the government’s Abu Dhabi media office said of a project that would vastly expand its ability to bypass the largely shuttered Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

The US State Department is offering hefty rewards for information on six individuals it says are involved in the drone-production wing of Iran’s IRGC Quds Force, identified as the Kimia Part Sivan Company (KIPAS), Al Jazeera reports.

The individuals, the State Department says, “are involved in KIPAS’s testing, development and supply of drones”.

A post by the State Department’s national security rewards programme said people who submit tips about individuals, their associates, or financial networks may be eligible for an award of up to $15m.

“Help us put a dent in the IRGC’s revenue stream,” the post states.

Economic growth in Germany, which was just 0.3 per cent in the first quarter, will likely take a significant hit from the effects of the Iran war in the second quarter, the federal economy ministry warned, Reuters reports.

“Rising prices, supply chain issues and uncertainty are weighing on sentiment among businesses and households,” the ministry said in its monthly report.

Israel’s military said that one of its soldiers died in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing its losses to 20 personnel since the war with Hezbollah began in early March, AFP reports.

Staff Sergeant Negev Dagan, 20, “fell during combat in southern Lebanon”, the military said, without providing additional information.

Israel’s military has ordered the residents of five towns and villages to flee their homes as Israel intends to attack their communities, Al Jazeera reports.

The military identified the targeted areas in the south of the country as Shabriha, Hamideh, Zuqaq al-Mufdi, Mashouk, and El Haouch.

Residents have been warned to “evacuate” immediately to open areas at least 1,000 metres (0.6 miles) from their homes.

US President Donald Trump said he discussed Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that they do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons and “want the straits open”, Reuters reports.

The two leaders met at the walled-off Zhongnanhai complex in Beijing as Trump wraps up his state visit to China.

“We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” Trump said.

Oil prices gained more than one per cent after US President Donald Trump said China wants to buy oil from the country and as concerns persisted over ship attacks and seizures despite Iran saying about 30 vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

Brent crude oil futures rose $1.17, or 1.11pc, to $106.89 a barrel by 0252 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were up $1.10, or 1.09pc, to $102.27.

Trump also said in an interview with Fox News he would not be much more patient with Iran as he urged Tehran to reach a deal with Washington.

China has called for a lasting truce in the Middle East, and for shipping lanes to be reopened “as soon as possible”, as the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, AFP reports.

“A comprehensive and lasting ceasefire should be reached as soon as possible to facilitate the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible in response to the calls of the international community,” it added in a response to a question on whether US and Chinese presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed the Iran war during their summit in Beijing.

Iraqi officials have approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about securing financial assistance as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, a source close to the Fund and an Iraqi government official said, Reuters reports.

Initial conversations took place during last month’s spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, and discussions are ongoing about how much funding Iraq would need and how any loan would be structured, the source close to the IMF said.

An Iraqi official advising on financial policy said Iraq is in preliminary discussions with the IMF and World Bank over a loan to finance the country’s budget, given a sharp revenue shortfall caused by halted oil exports following the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

India has raised petrol and diesel prices for the first time in four years by about 3 rupees ($0.03) per litre, according to retailers in Delhi, as the country aims to recoup some of the losses incurred due to higher global oil prices, Reuters reports.

Global oil prices spiked at more than $120 per barrel, before pulling back to around $100 to $105 a barrel following the near-closure and severe disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

India is among the last major economies to raise retail fuel prices. A litre of diesel in Delhi will cost 90.67 rupees and petrol 97.77 rupees.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said that Chinese officials made clear at the US-China summit that it wants to see the Strait of Hormuz reopen without restrictions or tolls and that Beijing will act pragmatically to limit military support for Iran, Reuters reports.

“It’s really important for China to have the Strait of Hormuz open, no tolling, no military control, and that was clear from the meeting. So we welcome that,” Greer told Bloomberg television in a live interview from Beijing, where he participated in meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“With respect to Chinese involvement with Iran, our view is the Chinese are being very pragmatic, and they don’t want to be on the wrong side of this,” Greer added.

“They want to see peace in that area. President Trump wants to see peace in that area. So we have a lot of confidence that they will do what they can to limit any kind of material support for Iran.”

US President Donald Trump suggested that hunting down Iran’s enriched uranium was primarily for political optics, after Israel demanded it as a goal, AFP reports.

“I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it’s — I think, it’s more for public relations than it is for anything else,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview from China.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who alongside Trump ordered an attack on Iran starting February 28, said in a recent interview that the war was “not over” because the sensitive nuclear material “has to be taken out” of the country.

United States President Donald Trump said he would not be much more patient with Iran as he urged Tehran to reach a deal with Washington, Reuters reports.

“I am not going to be much more patient,” Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News’ ‘Hannity’ programme. “They should make a deal.”