War in the Middle East: no progress according to Iran, negotiations are happening "Alright" according to Trump

Iran said on Wednesday that there was “no tangible progress” in negotiations with the United States to end the war in the Middle East, where attacks are resuming in the Gulf region.

“Messages have been exchanged regarding the need to end the aggression against Beirut but no tangible progress has been made in the negotiation process,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement. reference to Israeli strikes against pro-Iranian Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Any attack on the Lebanese capital would lead to “a large-scale resumption of the war”, he warned in an interview with the Lebanese television channel Al Mayadeen reported by the Iranian Tasnim agency.

Wednesday evening in Washington, Lebanon and Israel agreed on “the implementation of a ceasefire” and the creation of “pilot zones” under the control of the Lebanese army, according to a joint declaration published at the end of two days of talks. Measures which should make it possible to “progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement”.

The remarks made by Abbas Araghchi contrast with Donald Trump’s statements later in the Oval Office.

“I am told that the negotiations are going very well (…) Who knows (…), it (the end of the discussions) could be this weekend,” judged the American president.

He also declared that he wanted to “separate” discussions on Lebanon from those on Iran, while Tehran considers that they are one and the same subject.

– Attacks on Kuwait –

The head of American diplomacy, Marco Rubio, assured him before a parliamentary committee that the question of enriched uranium was “clearly discussed” with Iran, conceding however that Tehran had not given the green light.

The fate of enriched uranium constitutes one of the sticking points for an agreement. The United States and Israel accuse Iran of wanting to acquire atomic weapons, which it refutes.

The American House of Representatives adopted a symbolic text on Wednesday evening ordering the withdrawal of American troops in the war against Iran, a snub for Donald Trump, who retains a right of veto.

Earlier in the day, Kuwait had accused Tehran of having struck its airport, the first deadly attack since the entry into force of a ceasefire increasingly weakened by clashes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf.

The drone strike left one dead and 63 injured, according to authorities.

The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, denied having attacked the airport.

Hostilities have resumed in recent days, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic sea route for hydrocarbons blocked by Tehran.

Kuwait says it was targeted in total on Wednesday by 13 ballistic missiles and 17 Iranian drones.

“The explosions followed one another and were very close to residential areas. For the first time, the children felt the seriousness of the situation,” Hassan Sheikh, a 40-year-old Pakistani living not far from the airport, told AFP.

– Le pétrole remonte –

These new attacks have pushed oil prices back up to nearly $100, after a relaxation last week in the hope of an agreement between Tehran and Washington to end the conflict.

According to the American command for the region (Centcom), Iran also fired missiles towards Bahrain during the night, provoking in response American strikes on the Iranian island of Qeshm, which hit a communications tower, according to Tehran.

The Revolutionary Guards, for their part, claimed to have targeted an air base in Kuwait, and the headquarters of the Fifth American naval fleet in Bahrain in response to the attack on Qeshm, and that of an Iranian oil tanker. They also said they targeted a ship linked to Israel and the United States.

Iranian diplomacy accused Kuwait and Bahrain of letting Washington use their territory to act against Iran, which Kuwait denied, also announcing the expulsion of two members of the Iranian embassy.

– Northern Israel targeted –

A written statement from Mojtaba Khamenei is expected on Thursday, the anniversary of the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Rouhollah Khomeini, which gives rise to a large ceremony around his mausoleum.

This commemoration coincides this year with one of the main Shiite holidays celebrated en masse in the streets.

The announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was preceded by strikes that left at least nine dead on the Lebanese side, including a soldier and two rescue workers. Hezbollah opposes any discussion between Lebanese and Israeli officials.

Israel, for its part, announced having intercepted an “enemy aircraft” and two shots coming from Lebanon, with Hezbollah claiming an attack on Israeli soil.