The United States affirmed on Saturday that it had the means to return to war against Iran, after having assured that a peace agreement will only be possible if its “red lines are respected”.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States was quite capable
to resume hostilities against Iran if necessary
.
Our stocks are largely adapted to this objective
he declared at a defense forum in Singapore.
Tehran and Washington have been engaged for weeks in indirect discussions with a view to putting a lasting end to the war in the Middle East, but their outcome is uncertain, particularly after this week’s clashes, the most serious since the truce came into force on April 8.
Iran must accept that it will never have a nuclear weapon
Donald Trump wrote on his network on Friday, Truth Socialafter sources in Washington mentioned the day before a framework agreement providing for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire.
The US president also called for Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium to be It destroys
.
The United States and Israel, whose joint attack on February 28 against Iran triggered the war, accuse Tehran of wanting to acquire atomic weapons, which the latter refutes.
Dozens of civilian ships are anchored in the Persian Gulf, where the passage of the Strait of Hormuz remains the issue of a standoff between Washington and Tehran.
Photo : Getty Images / Majid Saeedi
Red lines
Iran, for its part, insists on tackling the nuclear issue later, after signing the memorandum of understanding currently under discussion.
Another point of dispute: the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global hydrocarbon trade, almost blocked by Iran since the start of the war.
Il must be opened immediately
and Tehran must commit to demining it, Mr. Trump said on Friday, whose country for its part is imposing a blockade on Iranian ports.
The American military command for the Middle East (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that it had stopped a cargo ship sailing under the Gambian flag and trying to reach an Iranian port, using a missile fired at its engine room.
And, according to contacts with Iranian sailors cited by the Tasnim news agency, the United States continues to prevent Iranian commercial ships from circulating.
Friday evening, a White House official told theAFP what President Trump will only sign a deal if it is good for America and its red lines are respected
.
Situation spéciale
d’Ormuz
Reacting to Mr. Trump’s remarks, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaïl Baghaï, indicated that the exchanges continued
with the United States.
He also defended the special situation
of the Strait of Hormuz, due to its location in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
As a result, only Iran and Oman are habilités à décider
of his management, Iranian MP Alireza Salimi told the ISNA news agency.
In Tehran, residents follow these exchanges, disillusioned. Both camps make comments intended to satisfy their supporters. It’s hard to know who’s telling the truth
comments Ali, a 49-year-old Iranian from Tonekabon, on the Caspian Sea.
The war has left thousands dead and is shaking the world economy by driving up oil prices.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) spoke on Friday of a risk of an oil shortage this summer if maritime traffic in the Gulf does not quickly return to normal.
The IMF and several world organizations fear an oil shortage this summer. (Archive photo)
Photo : Getty Images / STEFANI REYNOLDS
Collective punishment
Among its demands from Washington, Tehran is asking for the release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen by the United States.
Iranian state television said on Saturday, citing an unofficial transcription of the text, that the memorandum of understanding discussed provides for the release within 60 days of 12 billion dollars.
Iran is also demanding an end to the fighting in Lebanon, where its ally, Hezbollah, and Israel have been clashing since March 2, despite a truce in force since April 17, but not respected.
The Israeli army, which is advancing deep into southern Lebanon, has intensified its strikes in its neighbor in recent days, where it says it is targeting Hezbollah, which is firing on Israeli positions in Lebanon and in the neighboring country.
People examine damage at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, May 28, 2026.
Photo : Getty Images / AFP / FRIENDS HAJU
Accusing Israel of carrying out a policy of scorched earth and collective punishment
Who bring him neither security nor stability
the Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, however, defended on Saturday, in a televised speech, the negotiations with Israel, believing that they constituted the least expensive route
for Lebanon.
Military officials from the two countries met on Friday in Washington, as a prelude, according to the Pentagon, to a new session of political negotiations, on June 2 and 3, with a view to a security agreement. Hezbollah is fiercely opposed to these talks.
According to the latest official report, Israeli strikes have killed 3,371 people in Lebanon since the start of the war.
