This Monday (23), the conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel began to show signs of possible slowdown.
Where over the weekend the U.S. president threatened to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, now Donald Trump speaks of negotiations to end the war. On Fox Business, he stated that an agreement could be closed in five days or less.
Trump also said, on his Truth Social network, that the United States had conversations “good and productive” with Iran and that he would order the Armed Forces to delay any military attacks against Iranian energy plants and energy infrastructure. He added to reporters that the two sides have “important points of agreement.”
Despite the more conciliatory tone of the American president, the attacks continued. There were new Israeli bombardments of Iran and Lebanon, Iran’s missile launch with fragmentation bombs against Israel, and Iranian offensives against the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Slovenia became the first EU member country to implement fuel rationing to confront the consequences of the war in the Middle East.
Negative
Contrary to Trump’s statements, the president of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, denied that negotiations with the U.S. are taking place. The Iranian news agency Fars corroborated this version, stating that there are no direct or indirect communications with the United States at this moment.
The country’s Foreign Ministry also rejected the narrative of negotiations, and the Iranian Embassy in Afghanistan attributed Trump’s retreat from attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure to Iran’s “firm warning.”
Furthermore, on Sunday night (22), Iran stated that financial institutions that finance the United States’ military budget would become the country’s next legitimate target.
Lebanon
While Trump talks of an agreement, Israel does not seem to be on the same page.
An example of this is the statement by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said that Israel should extend its border with Lebanon to the Litani River, deep in the south of the country. This was the first time that an Israeli official spoke explicitly about the intention to take Lebanese territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke about the possibility of an agreement with Iran. According to him, Trump believes there is a possibility to “leverage the significant gains achieved by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the U.S. military, in order to achieve the war’s objectives in an agreement”.
“An agreement that preserves our vital interests,” Netanyahu clarified in a video statement released by his office.
Support
Even though they are not militarily involved, other countries around the world continue to participate in the conflict by backing one side. Russia, for example, reiterated on Monday that it stands with Iran.
On the other hand, European countries declared support for Middle Eastern nations that have suffered bombardments, such as Saudi Arabia. The leaders also insist on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
