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The United States affirmed on Saturday May 30 that they had the means to return to war against Iran, after having assured that a peace agreement will only be possible if their “red lines are satisfied”. Uncertainty reigns over the outcome of discussions between Tehran and Washington, after the most serious clashes this week since the truce came into force on April 8.
Sources in Washington had mentioned on Thursday a framework of agreement providing for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, and a two-hour meeting on Friday at the White House, devoted to this subject, did not result in any immediate announcement.
“Iran must accept that they will never have a nuclear weapon. The Strait of Hormuz must be opened immediately” and Tehran must commit to demining it, President Donald Trump said before this meeting on his Truth Social network. He also demanded, in all capital letters, that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium be “DESTROYED”.
The United States is “fully capable” of resuming hostilities
In the evening, a White House official told AFP that “President Trump will only sign an agreement if it is good for America and his red lines are met.” “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” the official repeated.
“Exchanges are continuing but no final agreement has yet been reached,” said the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaïl Baghaï, in reaction to Donald Trump’s comments. He also denied any discussion at this stage on the nuclear issue and defended “the special situation” of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, due to its geographical location in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
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“Residents are not putting too much hope in these negotiations”: the Lebanese and Israeli armies must meet in Washington
00:01:31
In Tehran, residents disillusionedly follow these diplomatic negotiations. “Both sides are making comments intended to satisfy their supporters. It is difficult to know who is telling the truth,” comments Ali, a 49-year-old Iranian from Tonekabon, on the Caspian Sea.
In this context, US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth affirmed that the United States was “fully capable” of resuming hostilities against Iran “if necessary”. “Our stockpiles are largely fit for purpose, both domestically and globally, given the way we balance high-tech munitions with those produced in larger quantities,” he said during the Shangri-La Dialogue, a defense forum in Singapore.
More than 3,000 people killed in Lebanon
The war, triggered on February 28 by an Israeli-American offensive against Iran, has left thousands dead and is shaking the world economy by pushing up oil prices. Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has accelerated in recent days, but “this does not mean a return to the pre-war situation”, according to Iranian state television, access remaining, according to it, prohibited to ships from “hostile” countries.
Tehran is calling for an end to the fighting on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon where its ally, Hezbollah, and Israel are clashing. A truce in force since April 17 has never been respected. The Israeli army further extended its “combat zone” in southern Lebanon on Friday, while continuing its strikes. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported 11 deaths in the south of the country on Friday. The pro-Iranian movement, for its part, claimed responsibility for a new series of attacks against military targets in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Lebanese and Israeli military officials held a meeting in Washington described as “constructive” by the US government. According to the Pentagon, these military discussions will serve as the basis for a new session of political negotiations between representatives of the two countries to reach a security agreement, on June 2 and 3 in Washington.
Hezbollah is opposed to these talks and its parliamentary bloc again called on Lebanon on Thursday to withdraw. According to the latest official report, Israeli strikes have killed 3,355 people in Lebanon since the start of the war.
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