On the 33rd day of war in the Middle East, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, April 1st that Iran had requested a ceasefire.
Donald Trump stated in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, April 1st that Iran had requested a ceasefire, as the United States enters its 33rd day of war in the Middle East.
“The president of the new Iranian regime, less radical and much smarter than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a ceasefire,” stated the White House tenant.
Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, indicated in an interview broadcast on Wednesday by Al Jazeera that they are not in “negotiations” with the United States, but mentioned “exchanges” including threats.
According to Massoud Pezechkian, the Iranian president, his country is willing to “end the war”, but wants guarantees first to “prevent the repetition of aggression.”
Iran ensures that the strait will remain closed to “enemies”
Donald Trump explained in his message that he was not immediately ready to open discussions for a ceasefire. The U.S. head of state clarified that his country would only consider it “when the Strait of Hormuz is open, free, and clear.”
However, the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, responded by asserting that the strait would remain closed to the country’s “enemies.” “The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is (…) completely under the control of the naval forces of the Guards, and this strait will not be open to the enemies of this nation despite the ridiculous posturing of the American president,” they warned in a statement relayed by state television.
The blockage of this crucial passage for global petrochemistry has been causing a major shock for several weeks with energy prices sharply rising.
The White House tenant vacillates around the Strait of Hormuz, stating that the United States is self-sufficient in its domestic oil production and telling France and other countries dependent on these supplies to “fend for themselves.”
American strikes continue
However, Donald Trump continues to threaten Iran with further strikes. “By then, we are reducing Iran to nothing, or, as they say, we’re taking them back to the Stone Age,” he added in his message.
Steel complexes in the center and southwest of Iran have been damaged by Israeli-American strikes, reported the Iranian Fars news agency on Thursday.
“According to initial reports, massive attacks took place, causing significant damage and destroying production units” of the Mobarakeh Steel Company complex, one of the largest in the country, located in the Isfahan province (center), Fars clarified, citing a statement from the company.
Another steel facility, Sefid Dasht, a subsidiary of Mobarakeh in the Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province (southwest), was also targeted and suffered “significant damage,” according to the same source.
