The conflict in the Middle East reached its 34th day on Thursday (2). The day was marked by the repercussions of the previous night’s address by the United States President, Donald Trump, and by various movements surrounding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
In his Wednesday speech (the 1st), Trump set aside the narrative of retaking Hormuz by force and stated that the strait will naturally reopen after the end of the conflict, which he continues to say will arrive within the next two weeks. Accordingly, analysts assess that the American is willing to leave Hormuz out of peace negotiations.
On the other hand, the United Kingdom hosted a meeting with representatives from more than 40 countries to chart strategies for reopening the passage. French President Emmanuel Macron said that it is not realistic to open the Strait of Hormuz by force.
Russia, for its part, stated that the strait is open to the country, which has been supporting Iran since the beginning of the war. Iran and Oman are also drafting a joint protocol to monitor ship traffic in Hormuz.
Attacks
To keep pressing for a deal, Donald Trump posted on Thursday, on his Truth Social network, a video of what he claimed to be Iran’s largest bridge being toppled in an attack that left at least eight dead.
In response, Iran listed important bridges in the Middle East region that could be targets of new attacks in its retaliation operations against the US and Israel, according to the Iranian news agency Fars. The structures pointed to are located in countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also stated that it had carried out missile and drone attacks against facilities tied to the United States in the Gulf, including the steel and aluminum sectors in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The United States Embassy in Iraq also warned of the possibility of attacks by pro-Iran militias in central Baghdad within the next 24 to 48 hours.
“Ready to Fight”
Amid discussions about negotiations and the end of the conflict, Iran continues to publicly position itself in diverse ways. The head of the Army told commanders to prepare for any attack.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, also maintained a defiant stance, stating that 7 million Iranians are ready to fight against any ground invasion by the United States of the country.
“There Is No End in Sight”
Lebanon, which has been repeatedly attacked by Israel, also does not see an end in sight to the conflict. The country’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, stated on Thursday that there is no end in sight to a war that has displaced 1 million people in the past month.
The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, warned that Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, will pay an “extraordinarily high price” for the escalation of attacks during the Jewish holidays. The extremist anti-Israel group originates from Lebanon and is the official justification for Israeli attacks on the country.
