Donald Trump announced on Monday, March 23, a five-day delay in American strikes on Iranian energy facilities or energy infrastructure. The US President stated that he was negotiating an end to the war in Iran with Iranian officials and that this would continue throughout the week, but these negotiations were denied by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We are negotiating with people whom I find very reasonable, very strong, very respected, and maybe one of them will be the one we are looking for,” said Donald Trump, as cited by BFM TV. He further mentioned that a regime change would be automatic since “all representatives of the regime have been killed.”
If the discussions were to fail, the US President threatened to “continue to bomb Iran eagerly.” On Saturday, March 21, Donald Trump had warned that he would strike Iranian energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened within 48 hours. In response, Tehran threatened to strike key infrastructure in the Middle East. Following Donald Trump’s announcement of postponing further strikes, the price of Brent rebounded to over $100 per barrel. Despite the statement from the American leader, the Iranian news agency Fars reported on the morning of Tuesday, March 24, that two Iranian energy facilities had been targeted by Israeli-American strikes and had been “partially damaged.”
Emmanuel Macron convened a defense council on the war in Iran on March 24. The day before, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the Hebrew state would continue its strikes in Iran and Lebanon, determined to “protect its vital interests under all circumstances,” as reported by Le Monde. In the evening, the Israeli army launched new strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut and claimed to have captured two of its elite fighters in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, Iran fired several missile salvos towards Israel. From Monday night to Tuesday, the Israeli army claimed to have hit “over 50 targets” in northern and central Iran. Israel stated that it had launched attacks on Iranian missile sites as well as on Tehran’s regime headquarters.
Amid the escalation between Iran, the United States, and Israel, Emmanuel Macron convened a new defense and national security council on March 24 at 5:30 PM. The last defense council was held on March 17, while Donald Trump asked France for assistance in securing the Strait of Hormuz, as noted by franceinfo. On March 21, 22 countries, including France, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan, expressed readiness to contribute to the efforts needed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This new defense council aims to assess France’s actions to ensure its security, that of its citizens, and partner countries in the Middle East. France also seeks to secure maritime routes in the region and continue diplomatic efforts in Lebanon.
