U.S. President Donald Trump gave Iran another 10 days to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy plants, after Iran rejected his proposals to end the war he launched together with Israel.
Yet there was little concrete sign of progress toward a truce as missiles continued to rain on Israel and Iran, which has shown signs of being able to sustain a long conflict.
The United States, which has set out to neutralise Iran’s long-range strike capabilities, can only confirm that about a third of Iran’s missile arsenal has been destroyed, five people familiar with the U.S. intelligence told Reuters.
Although senior Iranian officials have said diplomacy continues, Tehran gave no direct sign that it was ready for negotiation or compromise.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has effectively blocked traffic through the strait, conduit for 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas, reaffirmed that all shipping “to and from ports of allies and supporters of the Israeli-American enemies” to any destination was prohibited.
IRAN URGES GULF CIVILIANS TO MOVE AWAY FROM U.S. BASES
Guards also urged civilians across the Middle East, where Iran has already attacked countries hosting U.S. forces, to vacate areas near U.S. bases, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tehran had continued to fire missiles toward civilian areas in Israel, and therefore Israel’s attacks on Iran “will escalate and expand to additional targets”.
The war has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands of people and causing the biggest disruption in history to energy supplies, hitting the global economy with soaring oil, gas and fertiliser prices that have fuelled inflation fears.
In Iran, more than 1,900 people have been killed and at least 20,000 injured, said Maria Martinez of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Attacks on Israel by Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah have also prompted an Israeli onslaught that has displaced a fifth of Lebanon’s population.
Both Israel and the U.S. say they want to ensure that Iran can no longer threaten Israel with ballistic missiles or its nuclear programme, which Iran says is purely civilian, and that they would like to trigger an overthrow of Islamic rule.
On Thursday, Trump posted on social media that he would pause his threat to attack Iranian energy plants for 10 days until April 6 at 8 p.m. (0000 GMT on April 7).
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he added.
SHAPE OF ANY NEGOTIATIONS REMAINS UNCLEAR
Iran has said it is not talking directly to Washington, and Trump has not specified who the U.S. is said to be negotiating with in Iran, where many senior officials have been killed in the war.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he believed there had been indirect contacts, and preparations had been made to meet soon in Pakistan, which has good relations with Iran and passed on Washington’s 15-point proposal.
The Israeli military said it had attacked dozens of military sites in Tehran overnight linked to Iran’s missile programme, including weapons factories, launch infrastructure and personnel.
Strikes on three buildings in the Pardisan area of Qom, south of Tehran, killed at least 15 people and injured 10 others, Iranian media reported.
In Urmia, in the northwest, a direct missile strike on a housing complex killed and injured several civilians, with rescue operations continuing, Iranian media said.
The Fars news agency said two of Iran’s largest steel plants, in Ahvaz and Isfahan, had been attacked.
Stock markets continued their slide, while the Brent crude oil benchmark stood around $111, having risen more than 50% since the war began.