Donald Trump said on Thursday he is not rushed into the war in the Middle East, where the ceasefire in effect for two weeks between Tehran and Washington seems to be hanging by a thread.
Iranian media reported explosions in the evening in Tehran, for the first time since the ceasefire came into effect on April 8, which was supposed to end on Wednesday but was unilaterally extended by the United States.
Shortly before, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had said he was ready to resume war, waiting only for the green light from the American ally to bring Iran “back to the stone age.”
But an Israeli security source told AFP that the army was not attacking Iran.
As the George HW Bush aircraft carrier arrives near the Middle East, bringing the number of deployed American aircraft carriers in the region to three, Donald Trump assured that he was not in a hurry to end hostilities.
“I have all the time in the world, but that’s not the case for Iran,” the US president wrote on his Truth Social network.
“A single path”
During an event at the White House, Donald Trump then stated that he had no intention of using nuclear weapons against Iran, after being asked by a journalist on the subject.
“Why would I use nuclear weapons when we have completely decimated them in a very conventional way?” he declared.
The conflict, triggered on February 28 by an Israeli-American offensive against Tehran, has resulted in thousands of deaths, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.
Diplomatic negotiations have been intensified to end it, but negotiations between Americans and Iranians, which were supposed to resume in Islamabad early this week after an initial session on April 11, are still pending.
“There will be an agreement only when it is relevant and good for the United States, our allies, and, in fact, the rest of the world,” assured Donald Trump.
Two days after the US president mentioned “divisions” within the power in Tehran, senior Iranian officials on Thursday gave assurances of unity.
“One God, one nation, one leader, one path, that of victory for Iran that we value above all,” wrote President Massoud Pezeshkian, Parliament President Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, using the same formula in separate messages on social media.
Ormuz
With the truce and the halt of bombings, tensions are focusing on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage subject to a double American and Iranian blockade.
The two belligerents have intensified ship seizures and inspections, while Donald Trump has ordered his navy to “shoot down” any boats that “lay mines” in the strait.
The paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz is increasingly shaking the global economy every day: oil prices surged by more than 5% on Thursday.
Hezbollah Rockets
On the other main front of the war, in Lebanon, three people were killed on Thursday in an Israeli strike, despite the truce between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in effect since April 17 and expiring on Sunday.
Hezbollah later announced firing rockets at northern Israel in response to “violations” of the ceasefire by the Israeli army.
Representatives from Israel and Lebanon were welcomed by Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday for a second round of discussions, described as a “surrender” by Hezbollah.
Following these discussions, the US president announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between the two countries and stated that there was a “very good chance” of reaching a peace agreement later this year.
According to the latest official toll, at least 2,454 people have been killed in Lebanon in six weeks of war.
