Mario Parker and Arsalan Shahla
Updated ,first published
Israel has claimed to have killed Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, on Thursday night (AEDT), said Tangsiri was killed along with other senior naval commanders in the overnight strike.
Katz said Tangsiri was responsible for the bombings that have prevented ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz. He said the strike should be a “clear message” to senior Iranian military officials that the Israeli military will hunt them down.
The White House has insisted that peace talks with Iran continue, even as Tehran has publicly rejected US aggression and offered new terms to end the conflict that has wreaked havoc in the Middle East and global markets.
US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran is desperate to make an agreement to end the hostilities that have lasted for almost a month. “They want to make a deal so bad, but they’re afraid to say it,” Trump told Republican lawmakers on Wednesday night (Washington time).
“The United States has been engaged over the last three days in a productive dialogue,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier in the day. “You’re starting to see the government looking for a way out.”
Their comments contradicted Iran’s earlier statements through state media publicly rejecting Trump’s push for talks.
“No talks have been held with the enemy so far, and we have no plans for any talks,” Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, told state TV, although various messages were being exchanged through intermediaries, “to explain our positions or issue important warnings”.
Guarantees sought by Tehran include that the US and Israel will not resume their attacks, compensation for war damage, and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, state-owned Press TV said.
Iran is also looking to formalize a transit fee for the Strait of Hormuz, with politicians working on a draft bill to levy a toll to provide security for ships passing through the waterway, according to the Fars news agency.
Tehran has already begun charging a small number of commercial ships for the trip, with payments of up to US$2 million ($2.88 million) per trip being sought on an emergency basis, according to people familiar with the matter. Since the war began nearly four weeks ago, Iran has shut down the pipeline for nearly a third of its oil and liquid natural gas, causing a global supply shock.
As the war continued, each side continued to attack even as new efforts were made to settle the other side. And so far, Tehran shows little sign of backing down despite the daily attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces completed a wave of attacks in Isfahan, in what it described as an attack targeting infrastructure. Several houses were destroyed and many were left badly damaged, according to Fars.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defense was responding to Iranian missile and drone threats on Thursday, while Bahrain said an Iranian attack had caused a fire at a facility in Muharraq. Two people died and three were injured in Abu Dhabi after debris fell from an intercepted ballistic missile.
Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s military said it carried out missile attacks targeting US troops and separatist groups backed by the US-Israeli coalition in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil.
Like Trump’s deadline With Iran negotiating an agreement to end the war approaching, there are ongoing questions about the status of the talks and the possibility of an agreement.
The United States drafted a 15-point peace proposal that Pakistan presented to the Islamic Republic, according to people familiar with the matter, highlighting the urgency within the Trump administration to resolve the issue. The conflict started with Israel about a month ago.
The US plan calls for removing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, halting enrichment, curbing its ballistic missile program and cutting off funding to regional allies, according to three Israeli cabinet sources. Iran would retain certain concessions in return, including sanctions relief.
On Wednesday, Leavitt said there were “elements of truth” to the reported U.S. proposal, but cautioned against speculating on plans released anonymously.
US Vice President JD Vance is likely to travel to Pakistan for Iran talks this weekend, CNN reported. Asked for his opinion on the report, Leavitt said “this is a nonsensical situation, and rumors about the meetings should not be considered final until they are officially announced by the White House”.
The conflict has caused oil and fertilizer prices to rise, with oil tankers avoiding crossing the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian attacks damaging energy infrastructure. It has also raised fears of an inflationary crisis and food shortages around the world.
Brent crude is on pace for its biggest monthly gain since 1990. The global benchmark for crude rose above $US103 a barrel after losing more than 2 percent on Wednesday, while West Texas Intermediate was around $US91.
The risks of further escalation of the conflict remain high. The White House has insisted that Trump is keeping all options open for expanded military action. Washington has ordered more troops to the region, with more expected to arrive before the end of the week.
“If Iran fails to come to terms with the current situation,” Leavitt said, “Trump will make sure they get hit harder than they’ve ever been hit before. President Trump is not kidding and he’s ready to unleash hellfire.”
On Wednesday, Leavitt also announced that a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that had been scheduled for later this month would instead take place in May. Trump had postponed the meeting to focus on the war, which has created new problems in US-China relations. Iran is a major trading partner of China, the world’s largest producer of raw materials.
Leavitt said the administration has “always estimated about four to six weeks” for the conflict when asked if the new dates showed Trump expected to end the war by then. And he dodged a question about whether ending the war was a prerequisite for rescheduling the Trump-Xi summit.
Trump has said he hopes to reach an agreement by the end of the week. That could be difficult given the wide gaps that remain between the two sides, even if talks officially begin.
It is also unclear who the US is talking to whom since several senior Iranian government and military officials have been killed, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the first day of the conflict. on monday, Axios he identified the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, as the person expected to be at the forefront of the talks, although he denied the talks.
“We closely monitor all US movements in the region, especially the deployment of troops,” Ghalibaf said in a social media post on Wednesday. “Don’t test our resolve to defend our land.”
There is little clarity on whether Iran would immediately allow all commercial ships to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz without paying, and also how Israel would respond to any deal. Israeli officials have said they will continue to attack Iran for now.
Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are considering joining the war against Tehran, according to several people familiar with the situation. They would only do so if the Islamic Republic attacked critical energy and water infrastructure — a major threshold, the people said.
At the same time, Turkey is engaging in aggressive diplomacy to try to prevent Gulf Arab states from getting involved, according to people familiar with the matter.
More than 4,500 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the government and non-governmental organizations. About three-quarters of the deaths have occurred in Iran, while more than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting alongside the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Dozens of people have been killed in Israel and the Arab Gulf states.
Bloomberg, AP, Reuters
Get direct mail from our visitors journalists on what is making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
