Paris – Here are the latest developments related to the war in the Middle East, as a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States has held for a week:
– Russia ready to “compensate” energy deficit
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured on Wednesday that his country was ready to “compensate” the energy deficit suffered by China and other countries due to the war in the Middle East, after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
He also met with Vietnamese President To Lam on Wednesday, whose country is also experiencing the economic repercussions of the conflict.
– Iranian maritime trade “completely halted”
“The American forces have completely halted Iranian maritime trade,” said Brad Cooper, the head of the American forces in the region (Centcom), emphasizing that about “90% of the Iranian economy” depends on it.
– War “almost over” says Trump
President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday night on Fox News that the war in the Gulf is “almost over,” stating that the Iranian authorities “really want to reach an agreement.”
He also mentioned to the New York Post a possible resumption of discussions with Iran this week in Pakistan. “Something could happen in the next two days,” he said.
According to Vice President JD Vance, the White House is proposing a “big Trumpian deal” to Tehran: “if you commit to not having nuclear weapons, we will make Iran prosper.”
– Oil continues to decline
Oil prices continue to fall in early trading in Asia on Wednesday, with the market seeming to believe in a de-escalation of the conflict.
The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the American reference, fell by 0.91% to $90.45 after dropping by more than 8% the previous day, and Brent of the North Sea, the global reference, lost 0.39% to $94.42 after a 4.60% decrease on Tuesday.
– “Constructive” meeting for Lebanon, “excellent exchange” for Israel
Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, praised an “excellent exchange” after talks led on Tuesday with Lebanon in Washington.
“We discovered today that we (Israel and Lebanon) are on the same side and united in our determination to free Lebanon from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah,” he stated.
His Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, described the meeting as “constructive” and called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as well as the return of the million displaced people to their homes.
Hezbollah had rejected holding these discussions and described it as a “surrender.”
– Washington will not extend the easing of sanctions on Iranian oil
The US Treasury announced that it will not extend the temporary lifting of certain sanctions on Iranian oil decided in March to mitigate the effects of the Middle East conflict on the hydrocarbon market.
However, Washington will extend until the end of October the partial suspension of sanctions against the Russian giant Lukoil, due to the surge in prices.
– Israel transfers three Hezbollah members for questioning
The Israeli army announced that three Hezbollah fighters surrendered on Tuesday to its troops in Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon, and were transferred to Israel for questioning.
It reported ten soldiers injured, three of them seriously, in clashes with Hezbollah in that area.
– Hezbollah claims 13 attacks during Israeli-Lebanese talks
Hezbollah claimed simultaneous attacks on 13 locations in northern Israel shortly after the start of direct talks between Israelis and Lebanese on Tuesday.
The Israeli army had said “an intensification of fire from Lebanon is possible.”
– Six ships turned back by the US military
The US military announced that it prevented six ships from leaving Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of the blockade imposed by the United States on the Islamic Republic.
On Monday, at least two vessels from Iran had crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
– Agence France-Presse
