The conflict, which began more than a month ago, shows no signs of truce
O Iran accused this Sunday (29) the government ofs United States to plan “in secret” a ground offensive, while publicly announcing diplomatic efforts to end the war in the Middle East.
“Publicly, the enemy sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while in secret planning a ground offensive,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohamad Bagher Qalibaf said in a statement.
“Our men await the arrival of American soldiers on land to attack them and punish their regional allies once and for all,” he warned.
The conflictstarted more than a month ago,: the Israeli Army announced that it attacked an important missile production area in Iran, at the same time that it denounced the “impact” of an attack on an industrial zone in southern Israel.
The Revolutionary GuardIran’s ideological army, threatened to attack American universities in the Middle Eastwhich led the American University of Beirut to temporarily adopt an online class system.
“People wake up every day worried about an uncertain future,” Farzaneh, a 62-year-old Iranian from the city of Ahvaz, told AFP. And all this while “no one really wants war”, he laments.
American troops in Iran?
Could the conflict, which significantly affects civilian populations in the region and shakes the world economy, enter an even more serious phase?
As Speculation about a possible deployment of American troops to Iranian territory is intense. President Donald Trump maintains some ambiguity regarding the possibility.
According to the Washington Post, which cites US government sources who requested anonymity, the Pentagon prepares to carry out ground operations of several weeks that would not be a large-scale invasion, but rather special forces incursions into Iranian territory.
The head of American diplomacyMarco Rubio, had ruled out the possibility on Fridayby insisting that the “goals” of the war in Iran can be achieved without sending ground troops.
An American amphibious attack ship, at the head of a group that includes 3,500 sailors and members of the Marine Corps, arrived in the region on Friday.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts continue to try to end the war, which began on February 28 with the joint offensive by Israel and the United States against Iran.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are meeting this Sunday and Monday in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, to address the conflict.
Attack affects industrial zone in Israel
The conflict, however, continues and Iran continues attacks against Gulf countries. Among the latest targets are two large aluminum smelting plantslocated in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said.
A Guard also threatened to attack American universities in the Middle Eastin reprisal for bombings that, according to the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, hit two universities in Iran.
“If the United States government wants its universities in the region not to suffer reprisals (…) it must condemn the bombing of universities in an official statement before Monday, March 30, at noon,” says a statement.
The Israeli Army said it launched an attack on an area in Tehran in which the Iranian Ministry of Defense produces essential components for the manufacture of ballistic missiles.
He also told AFP that the industrial zone of Neot Hovav, in southern Israel, was likely hit by “missile debris”. The area is home to a park with more than 40 factories in the environmental and industrial infrastructure development sectors.
Another strategic strait on target
Since the start of the war, Iran has also blocked the a strategic route through which 20% of world oil exports pass, which causes a global energy crisis.
From Bangkok to Berlin, from Tokyo to Paris, governments are multiplying emergency measures to try to contain rising prices.
The energy crisis could be worsened by the entry into the war of Yemen’s Huthi rebelsallies of Iran, who on Saturday launched missiles at Israel.
From their strategic positions, Yemeni insurgents have the possibility of disrupting traffic in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
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