US President Donald Trump warned that Tehran’s rejection of his administration’s demands meant the already tenuous ceasefire is now “unbelievably weak”, and called Iran’s counter-offer ‘garbage’. Meanwhile Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who served as chief negotiator in previous talks with Washington, said shortly afterwards that his country was prepared ‘for any eventuality.’ Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Trump, Xi appear intent on keeping differences over Iran war from overshadowing China summit
President Donald Trump on Tuesday is set to leave for Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping after weeks of trying, and failing, to persuade the Chinese government to use its considerable leverage to prod Iran to agree to US terms to end the Iran war — or at the very least, reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has veered between venting that China, the world’s biggest buyer of Iranian oil, hasn’t done more to get the Islamic Republic in line, and acknowledging that Xi’s government helped de-escalate the conflict last month by nudging Tehran back to ceasefire talks when negotiations wobbled.
But ahead of the US leader’s high-stakes visit, the White House has set low expectations that Trump will be able to persuade Xi to change China’s posture.
Beijing publicly insists that it wants to see the war end, and has been working diplomatically behind the scenes to help its ally Pakistan push to broker a peace agreement
Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill six
Israeli strikes on a town in southern Lebanon killed six people and wounded seven others, state media said Tuesday, as fighting continued despite a ceasefire agreement.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli strikes late Monday hit a house in Kfar Dounine, a town about 95 kilometres (59 miles) from capital Beirut.
The NNA reported the wounded were transported to hospitals in the coastal city of Tyre.
Israel has intensified its attacks in south Lebanon as it trades fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah despite an April 17 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that aimed to halt the fighting.
More than 2,800 people have been killed in Lebanon since the country was dragged into the Middle East war on March 2, according to health authorities.
Oil climbs but markets shrug off US-Iran deadlock
Oil prices climbed on Tuesday as US-Iran talks stalled, while markets were mixed as traders appeared to shrug off uncertainty over the 10-week-old war.
Optimism over Washington’s proposal to Iran to ease the conflict collapsed when Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran’s counter-offer was “garbage”.
The impasse, which leaves the vital Strait of Hormuz mostly closed to oil tanker traffic, unnerved global energy markets.
The international benchmark Brent crude price jumped one percent to $105 a barrel during Tuesday morning trade in Asia, while benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also rose one percent to $99 a barrel.
Trump warns Mideast truce on ‘life support’, Iran says ready for any aggression
US President Donald Trump warned the ceasefire in the Middle East war was on “life support” Monday after rejecting the latest counteroffer from Iran, which said its military stood ready to respond to any act of aggression.
After slamming the reply as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” Trump insisted the United States would see a “complete victory” over Iran, adding that the truce which has largely halted fighting in the Gulf for over a month was on its last legs.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who served as chief negotiator in previous talks with Washington, said shortly afterwards that his country was prepared “for any eventuality.”
“Our armed forces are ready to respond and to teach a lesson for any aggression,” he wrote on X. “A bad strategy and bad decisions always lead to bad results — the world already understands this.”
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. Click here to catch up on what happened yesterday.
Iran’s proposal to end war with the US and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was legitimate and generous, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said, adding that the US continues to uphold unreasonable and one-sided demands.
The UK and France will on Tuesday host a multinational meeting of defence ministers on military plans to restore trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the British government said.
Iran‘s stockpile of enriched uranium must be “taken out” before the US-Israeli war against Iran can be considered over, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told an American broadcaster on Sunday.
The United Arab Emirates has carried out military strikes on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. The strikes, which the UAE has not publicly acknowledged, included an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf, WSJ said, adding that the attack took place in early April.
