DIRECT. War in the Middle East: Air traffic resumes without interruption at ten airports in Iran

The White House refutes reports from Iranian state media about a proposed deal, calling it a “complete fabrication.”

“This report from the Iranian-controlled media is false and the memorandum of understanding they ‘published’ is a total fabrication,” an official account linked to the White House said on X, a statement later relayed by CNN.

Earlier, Iranian state television reported that Tehran had obtained an unofficial draft of the initial framework for a memorandum of understanding with the United States.

Pro-Iranian Hezbollah today reported “direct” fighting with the Israeli army beyond the area it controls in southern Lebanon, as Israel expands its ground operations in the country.

Despite the truce theoretically in force since April 17, Israel announced on Monday that it was intensifying its operations in Lebanon, before a military meeting between the two countries scheduled for Friday at the Pentagon, and new negotiation sessions under American sponsorship on June 2 and 3.

The deputy secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Bagheri, declared this Wednesday that Iran and Oman “are jointly negotiating a new procedure for the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”, reports Iranian state television.

The conditions for passage through the strait will be completely different from those which prevailed before the start of the conflict concerning Iran, it is specified.

The Israeli army called on Wednesday for the evacuation of the city of Tire and its surroundings in southern Lebanon, ahead of planned attacks against pro-Iranian Hezbollah, despite the current truce.

“Urgent alert to the attention of the inhabitants of Tire and the refugee camps and neighboring neighborhoods (…) for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately (…) north of the Zahrani River”, wrote on his account X Avichai Adraee, the spokesperson for the army Israeli in Arabic language.

Iranian state television reported that Tehran has obtained an unofficial draft initial framework for a memorandum of understanding with the United States.

This agreement would require Iran to restore maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to its pre-war level within a month. For their part, the United States would withdraw its military forces from areas close to Iran and its naval blockade.

Oil prices plunged on Wednesday, amid optimism about the prospect of an agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war.

Around 12:35 GMT (2:35 p.m. in Paris), the price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea, for delivery in July, lost 4.99% to $94.61, shortly after having dropped more than 5%.

Its American equivalent, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, for delivery the same month, fell by 5.94% to 88.31 dollars, after having fallen by more than 6%.

According to the American Central Command (CentCom), “109 commercial ships have been redirected” from Iranian ports as of May 27, it was announced on X this Wednesday. The maneuvers must make it possible to respect the measures put in place as part of the maritime blockade imposed on the country.

In a press release published this Wednesday, the Lebanese civil defense announced that relief efforts were being undertaken on the ground in Doueir and Nabatiyé, in the south of Lebanon, to come to the aid of civilians after the latest air strikes.

29 people trapped in damaged buildings were rescued. In Doueir, two children and twelve people were taken care of, while 15 people were evacuated to Nabatiyé.

“The teams acted quickly and efficiently to bring civilians to safety. Search and intervention operations continue in the affected areas,” it said.

The goal of the United States and Israel remains to “overthrow” and sow discord within the Islamic Republic, believes the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.

“The enemy is now pursuing by other means the objective of overthrowing and dividing the country, which it had openly declared at the start of the war but which it failed to achieve through a military attack,” it is written in this press release from the ministry relayed by the Iranian media.

Oil prices are falling this morning, the market continuing to bet on an improvement in the situation in the Middle East and on an imminent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, where the first signs of improvement would already be perceptible.

Around 11:30 a.m. in Paris, the price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea, for delivery in July, lost 3.21% to 96.38 dollars.

Its American equivalent, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, for delivery the same month, fell 3.87% to 90.26 dollars.

Did fuel distributors take advantage of the war in the Middle East to boost their margins?

The Israeli army is once again calling on residents of the town of Nabatyié, in southern Lebanon, to evacuate “immediately” before strikes.

“We confirm that anyone found in the vicinity of Hezbollah elements, its installations and its means of combat puts their life in danger!”, writes the Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee on X.

Hezbollah reports fighting with Israeli forces in a locality located on the edge of the “yellow line” established in southern Lebanon by Israel, which is expanding its ground operations in the country.

Fighters “engaged in direct clashes with enemy forces” in Zawtar el-Sharqiyé, north of the Litani River, the pro-Iranian group wrote in a press release.

Seoul announces that it will summon the Iranian ambassador and express its “firm protest” to him, after an investigation attributing “very probably” to a missile developed by Iran the attack on a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz in early May.

“Our government plans to summon the Iranian ambassador to Korea to (…) convey a firm protest regarding the attack on our ship and demand responsible measures (…) aimed at preventing any recurrence,” First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo told the press.

More than 1.7 million people are taking part in the hajj this year, according to the latest official figures, amid fears of a resumption of war in the Middle East.

In Iran, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, faithful Muslims today perform the Eid al-Adha prayer (Feast of the Sacrifice) and the last great ritual of the annual pilgrimage, the stoning of Satan.

A senior Iranian official recalls Tehran’s conditions for a peace agreement to be signed between Iran and the United States.

Among them, a 60-day ceasefire which must be established on all fronts, “especially on Lebanese territory”, specifies Alaeddin Boroujerdi, member of the National Security Commission, quoted by the official Tasnim press agency.

He also calls for the release of “a significant portion of frozen Iranian assets” and the lifting of the naval blockade.

Iran demands, among other things, that “the diplomatic corps and the regime do not make their decisions based on Donald Trump’s tweets.”

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards consider a resumption of war with the United States unlikely, against a backdrop of diplomatic negotiations, while saying they are ready to face a new attack.

“The likelihood of war is low due to the weakness of the enemy,” said Mohammad Akbarzadeh, a senior official in the Guardian naval forces, quoted by the Tasnim news agency.

But “the armed forces are on alert, their magazines full”, he adds, vowing to “transform the area” going from the east to the west of the Gulf into “a cemetery for the aggressors”.

The Total Energies group announced this morning that it would extend the cap on prices at the pump in its 3,300 service stations “throughout the month of June”.

“It’s welcome, they are doing their part of the job,” said the Minister of the Economy, Roland Lescure, on BFMTV-RMC. “Everyone, faced with this crisis, must ask themselves what we can do to help.”

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Regarding a possible shortage of fuel, “at this stage for the next two months, we are calm both on diesel, gasoline, but also on kerosene”, assures the Minister of the Economy, Roland Lescure, on BFMTV-RMC.

“Going on vacation will go well. Go on vacation or you can stay in France if you wish,” insists the minister.

In a context of soaring fuel prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East, the government launched aid for “long-distance drivers” in the amount of 100 euros. This has been available since 8 a.m. this morning.

The French who request it “will receive the money in 10 days directly in their bank account”, informs the Minister of the Economy, Roland Lescure, on BFMTV-RMC.

The Minister of the Economy, Roland Lescure, affirms that the French economy is “resilient” despite the rise in fuel prices caused by the war in the Middle East.

“Today, the French economy has marked a pause in the first quarter with a certain number of factors (…) but we are in an economy which is resisting”, maintains Roland Lescure on BFMTV-RMC. “WE are better protected and less exposed than the average of our peers” in Europe, he adds.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterates Beijing’s call for respect for the ceasefire and invites the parties to find a compromise, reports the state agency Xinhua.

“We hope that the parties concerned will remain committed to seeking a ceasefire and will continue to seek mutual understanding so that peace returns to the Middle East as quickly as possible,” the minister said.

“We support the active mediation by Pakistan and other countries, and the efforts made by the United States and Iran,” he said.

Donald Trump en Chine: ékin la retenue, à Washington l’offensive tous azimuts

President Donald Trump brings together the members of his government at 5 p.m., at a time when negotiations with Tehran do not seem to be producing the expected effects.

Donald Trump assured Saturday that an agreement with Tehran to end the war in the Middle East was close, but recent developments have dealt a blow to this apparent progress.

This council of ministers, initially planned at Camp David, an isolated military residence west of Washington, will ultimately take place at the White House due to “possible bad weather conditions”.

As a further step towards calm, air traffic is now reopened without interruption in ten Iranian airports, reports the Iranian agency Isna.

Among them are Tehran’s two major airports, which had already resumed activity in April after weeks of closure due to the war.

During a telephone conversation yesterday with the Qatari leader, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian indicated that his country was “ready to reach a respectful framework to end the war”, according to state radio and television Irib.

His American counterpart, for his part, is seeking a way out of this unpopular war which has seriously disrupted the world economy due to Tehran’s virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Israeli army carried out new strikes yesterday in southern Lebanon, killing 31 people according to Beirut, and called for the evacuation of around forty villages, despite the ceasefire.

According to a statement from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 31 people, including at least four children and three women, were killed during these attacks and 40 others were injured. Fourteen people were killed in Burj al-Shamali, near Tyre, the ministry said.

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the evolution of the war in Iran and the Middle East.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry yesterday accused the United States of having violated the fragile ceasefire in the south of the country, a statement which comes after the announcement of American strikes.

“The American terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire (…), has committed over the last 48 hours a flagrant violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region,” the ministry declared in a statement, without specify the nature of the facts.

The US Middle East Command (Centcom) announced earlier that it had struck missile launch sites in southern Iran overnight, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had shot down an American drone and fired on planes trying to enter the country’s airspace.