Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:
Trump says war will end ‘very soon’
US President Donald Trump on Monday pushed the idea of the Iran war ending soon, but remained vague on a timeline for ending the attacks.
“I think soon. Very soon,” Trump told reporters in Florida when asked if he thought the war could end in days or weeks.
Iran pushes back on timing
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in response said they would “determine the end of the war” and not the Americans.
Trump also pressed for what he called “ultimate victory” against Tehran’s clerical establishment, which over the weekend picked the son of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei as its new chief.
Iran’s Pezeshkian talks with Erdogan
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after an incoming Iranian missile was intercepted in Turkey’s airspace.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always declared its readiness to reduce tension in the region; provided that the airspace, soil and waters of our neighbours are not used to attack the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian said in a statement about the call.
Iran targets Gulf energy installations
Iran launched fresh strikes on energy installations in the Gulf, including a petroleum complex in Bahrain, as oil prices soared on fears of over supply disruptions due to the war.
Bahrain’s sprawling Al Ma’ameer oil facility was hit, causing a fire and damage, with the country’s state-owned energy firm Bapco declaring force majeure — the latest Gulf producer to activate the legal clause.
Jets overhead as strikes hit Tehran
The Israeli military said it launched a wave of “broad strikes” against “terror targets” in Tehran, the second of the day.
AFP journalists reported a powerful explosion in the Iranian capital at the same time as aircraft were heard overhead.
Asian stocks surge
South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index rose sharply in early trade Tuesday, rebounding more than five percent after a drop in oil prices.
Japan’s Nikkei also jumped more than three percent, recovering after a steep drop the previous day.
Australia asylum to Iran women footballers
Australia has granted asylum to some of Iran’s visiting women’s football team over fears they faced persecution at home for not singing the national anthem before a match.
The Iranian players’ stance ahead of an Asian Cup tournament match in Australia last week was widely seen as an act of defiance against the Islamic republic. Five players escaped the team hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast overnight.
Lebanon toll rises
The toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon rose to 486 people killed and 1,313 wounded, the Lebanese health ministry said.
The ministry had previously reported a death toll of 394. AFP could not independently verify the figures.
Hezbollah vows resistance, self-defense
The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad pledged to continue fighting Israel “whatever the cost,” in remarks broadcast by Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.
Defending his party, and blasting the Lebanese government, Raad said the group’s goal is to “to drive the enemy out of our occupied land… And quite plainly, we have no other option to preserve honor, pride and dignity than the option of resistance.”
Iran warns strait unsafe
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key transport route for global oil and gas supplies, cannot be restored as long as the war continues.
“It is unlikely that any security can be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires ignited by the United States and Israel in the region,” he said.
UAE says targeting ‘unwarranted’
The United Arab Emirates decried that it was being targeted “in a very unwarranted manner” in the war, stressing it would “not partake in any attacks against Iran,” which has lashed out at Gulf countries seen as US allies.
“The UAE does not seek to be drawn into conflict or escalation,” said Jamal Al Musharakh, the UAE’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.
burs-arp/mlm
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