Parisa Hafezi and Simon Lewis
Dubai/Washington: US President Donald Trump said he was in no rush to reach a peace agreement with Iran and wanted it to be “everlasting”, while continuing to assert that the United States had a clear upper hand in the naval stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz.
A day after Iran flaunted its tightened grip over the key shipping corridor, Trump dismissed the threat posed by Iran’s “little wise-guy ships” and said he believed Tehran was hamstrung from making a deal because its leadership was in turmoil.
The president said the US Navy has orders to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats laying mines in the strait, which would remain “sealed up tight” until Iran made a deal. Trump said the US could knock out in a day any refurbished weapons Iran may have made during the ceasefire in place since April 8.
Navigation in the strait remains effectively blocked, and the Iranian capture of two huge cargo ships this week was a reminder that Washington struggles to keep control of it as Tehran continues to cause trouble for oil markets and pose major strains to the global economy.
Oil prices resumed their rise on Friday as the ceasefire remained shaky, with the blockade of the strait unresolved. Brent Crude futures jumped more than 1 per cent, and US crude also gained 1 per cent.
Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire for three weeks at a White House meeting brokered by Trump, who said he was prepared to wait for “the best deal” to end the conflict.
Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has been one of a number of sticking points to resolving the wider regional conflict, along with Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control of the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian unity
Iran’s use of a swarm of small, fast boats to seize container ships this week cast doubt on Trump’s suggestions that US forces have disabled Iran’s naval threat, and underscored Tehran’s evolving tactics as it countered US interception of Iran-linked oil tankers and other vessels.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday rejected Trump’s claim of disarray in the leadership, describing it as “the enemy’s media operations” to maliciously undermine Iranian unity and security.
“Unity will become stronger and more solid, and enemies will become weaker and more humiliated,” he said in a post on X, as he remained out of the public eye since taking over from his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated by US strikes in the early days of the war.
The prolonged conflict has deepened the fissure between the US and NATO, with Trump repeatedly criticising members for failing to support US operations. Washington is now weighing punishing “difficult” countries, such as Spain, according to policy options being reviewed on the bloc, a US official told Reuters.
The options are detailed in a note expressing frustration at some allies’ perceived reluctance or refusal to grant the US access, basing and overflight rights for the Iran war, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Trump said this week he would indefinitely extend what had been a two-week ceasefire with Iran to allow for further peace talks, which have yet to be scheduled.
“Don’t rush me,” he said when asked how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal. “I want to make the best deal … I want to have it everlasting.”
He also ruled out the use of nuclear weapons, telling reporters they were unnecessary because the US had “decimated” Iran with conventional arms.
“No, I wouldn’t use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody,” Trump said when asked by a reporter at the White House.
Deadly week
Despite the extension of their ceasefire, fighting continued in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces continued to pound Hezbollah targets.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it carried out a number of strikes, killing three Hezbollah militants and targeting the group’s infrastructure used to launch attacks.
Hezbollah militants continued to target Israeli troops in southern Lebanon with rockets and a drone, and hit northern Israel with rockets, it said.
Those killed by Israeli strikes this week included Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, according to a senior Lebanese military official and her employer, al-Akhbar newspaper.
Israel has sought to make common cause with Lebanon’s government over Hezbollah, which Beirut has been seeking to disarm peacefully for the past year.
The group was not present at the ceasefire talks in Washington.
Before the announcement in Washington on Thursday, Israel warned it was ready to restart attacks on Iran and was waiting for a “green light” from the US.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said if it did, it would begin by targeting Khamenei and “return Iran to a dark age”.
Reuters
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