The United States strikes Iranian targets in the Persian Gulf as Tehran threatens to block oil and Hezbollah steps up attacks on Israel. Nuclear negotiations risk falling apart.
New military escalation in Middle East while the delicate negotiations between United States And Iran on the nuclear program risk collapsing under the weight of military tensions. Washington confirmed that it had carried out a series of air strikes against Iranian targets in the south of the country, hitting missile positions and naval units linked to the Pasdaran in the Persian Gulf. The operation, defined by the Americans as “preventive and defensive”, was confirmed by United States Central Command (CENTCOM). The spokesperson Tim Hawkinsinterviewed by Fox News, explained that the raids were aimed at “protecting American forces from threats coming from Iranian units”. According to the American version, among the targets hit were missile platforms and boats suspected of preparing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuza strategic hub for global energy traffic. Washington However, he insisted on the fact that he wanted to maintain a line of “moderation”, despite the ceasefire in the region appearing increasingly fragile. But Tehran’s reaction was not long in coming. Iranian media close to the regime reported that two units of the Revolutionary Guards Navy were reportedly attacked by US fighters during a mission in Persian Gulf. According to reconstructions published by the Iranian press, at least four members of the Pasdaran were killed.
Iranian threats
In the same hours, several local sources spoke of violent explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbasone of Iran’s most important strategic points on the Strait of Hormuz. The episode fuels fears of a further deterioration of the situation and risks compromising the ongoing diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran to reach an agreement on nuclear power and on the reopening of the currently paralyzed maritime routes. The verbal response from the Iranian authorities was very harsh. Abolfazl Shekarchispokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, warned that any new aggression against the Islamic Republic will receive a “much more severe” response, capable of extending beyond the Middle East. As reported by Al Jazeera, the military declared that Iran is ready to strike strategic interests well beyond regional borders and openly threatened international energy traffic: “If they prevent our exports, Iran will prevent oil from leaving the region.” The message attributed to the Supreme Leader is even more radical Mojtaba Khamenei in the speech for the Hajj relaunched by the Tasnim agency. Khamenei He argued that Israel was entering “the final stages of its miserable existence” and said that the United States they will no longer have secure bases in the region. The message openly talks about the possibility of hitting American installations in the Middle East and definitively changing the regional balance. On the diplomatic level, Donald Trump reiterated that a possible agreement with Tehran must include the complete elimination of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium under international supervision. In a message published on Truth Social, the American president explained that nuclear material could be transferred to United States or destroyed directly in Iran under the control of international observers. According to rumors published by the New York Times, the central issue of the memorandum under discussion is Iran’s renunciation of highly enriched uranium reserves. However, American officials admitted that the agreement could suffer further delays due to the internal approval procedures imposed by the Iranian regime.
The Israeli-Lebanese front is heating up
In the meantime, the crisis on the Israeli-Lebanese front is also worsening. Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will intensify operations against Hezbollah after the sharp increase in drone and rocket attacks against the north of the country. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed a new wave of raids against targets of the Shiite movement in southern and eastern Lebanon. According to Lebanese security sources, many civilians are leaving the southern suburbs of Beirut, the historic stronghold of Hezbollahfearing the start of a large-scale Israeli offensive. In northern Israel, several communities near the border have independently decided to close schools and activate distance learning. A senior American official quoted by the Times of Israel also reported that Hezbollah has launched over a thousand drones and hundreds of rockets against Israel in recent days, ignoring international warnings about the ceasefire. Second Washingtonthe Shiite group is allegedly attempting to sabotage the ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Israel, Lebanon And United States. What worries the Israeli authorities most is above all the growing use of FPV drones guided via fiber optics, considered almost immune to traditional electronic jamming systems. In a rare public admission, an IDF official said that Israel was currently “defenseless” in the face of this technological threat and that some diplomatic restrictions imposed by the United Statesthey would be limiting Israel’s large-scale military response capability Lebanon.
