The US president extended, this Tuesday (21), for an indefinite period the ceasefire with Iran to expand peace negotiations
US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely give more time to peace negotiations and stated this Wednesday (22) that the Islamic Republic is in “financial collapse” due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran did not immediately confirm the A container ship was hit this Wednesday by Iranian fire near the coast of Oman, an action that caused damage but no casualties, according to the British maritime security agency UKMTO.
Additionally, a cargo ship leaving Iran was immobilized by gunfire, added UMKTO, which reported no damage or injuries in the second incident.
Since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, triggered on February 28 by attacks by Israel and the United States against Iran, a round of negotiations took place in Islamabad, but ended without results. Pakistan, the mediating country, is trying to organize another round of talks to end a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and has shaken the world economy.
Iranian Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri stated that the American naval blockade it did not affect the country’s ability to supply basic goods and food.
“Almost 85% of agricultural and basic necessities are produced in the country, therefore national food security is guaranteed,” he added.
Trump attributed his decision to extend the truce to a request from Pakistan and highlighted the need to allow the “fractured” Iranian government to develop a proposal to end the conflict. However, he stated that the blockade of Iranian ports will continue.
“I ordered our Armed Forces to continue the blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and prepared, and therefore I will extend the ceasefire until Iran presents a proposal and the talks are concluded, one way or another”, announced the American president.
Trump mentioned, in a message on his Truth Social network, divisions at the top of Iranian power and stated that “Iran is in financial collapse” due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route for the global transport of hydrocarbons.
‘Say goodbye to oil’
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his role as interlocutor, welcomed the extension. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres also praised the announcementwhich he interprets as an “important advance towards de-escalation”, according to a statement from his spokesperson.
Before Trump’s announcement, the Iran had threatened to resume attacks against Gulf countries and endanger global oil supplies.
“Our southern neighbors must know that if their geography and facilities are used in the service of their enemies to attack the Iranian nation, they must say goodbye to oil production in the Middle East,” warned the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s ideological army.
One dead in Lebanon
On the other front of the war, new direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to take place on Thursday in Washington, according to the American government.
Just like the first ones, on April 14, the talks will be led by the ambassadors. According to the official Lebanese news agency Ani, the Israeli army detonated several houses on Wednesday morning in Al Bayada, in the south of the country.
The same source added that an Israeli attack in the Bekaa region caused one death. According to an official report released on Tuesday, 2,454 people died in Lebanon in six weeks of war.
‘Free’ Iranian women
Before announcing the extension of the truce, Trump asked Tehran to “free” several women who, according to him, would be threatened with execution. It would be a “very good start to the negotiations”, he declared.
This Wednesday, Iran continued a series of executions by hanging a man convicted on charges of links to Israeli intelligence services.
In Tehran, where the main airports reopened on Monday after many weeks of closure, life has returned to normal.
Some residents of the capital, contacted by AFP from Paris, have taken advantage of the ceasefire to take a break, but with the fear that war will soon return.
“I went out without stress, I went for a walk, I went to cafes and restaurants,” said Mobina Rasoulian, a 19-year-old student who was strolling through the Iranian capital.
*AFP
