The United States temporarily freezes naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz but maintains a blockade against Iranian ports. Meanwhile, Israel is evaluating new attacks on Tehran’s strategic objectives while diplomatic initiatives between Washington, China and the Gulf countries are multiplying.
Last night Donald Trump announced that it had given the green light to a temporary pause in the American operation called «Project Freedom», the device created to accompany commercial ships across the Strait of Hormuz. The US president spoke of “significant progress” in contacts with Tehranexplaining that Washington will evaluate whether to proceed towards a definitive agreement. At the same time he specified that the American blockade of Iranian ports will still remain operational. Shortly before, the United Arab Emirates had announced that they had neutralized new attacks attributed toIran. The episode occurred a few hours after a briefing at Pentagon during which the leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staffgeneral Dan Cainehad argued that Iranian military initiatives did not justify a reopening of the conflict. Tehran has denied all charges relating to actions against him Emirates, warning, however, that any attack conducted from the UAE against Iranian interests would provoke a very harsh response. On the American side, there has been an attempt to downplay the latest incidents, including Iranian attacks against US naval units and other vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and in the waters of countries close toIran. Episodes which have nevertheless put pressure on the ceasefire which has been in force for about a month now. The Secretary of State Marco Rubio he invited Tehran to “make a reasonable choice” by returning to the negotiating table.
Diplomacy at work
Also the Israeli prime minister on Tuesday Benjamin Netanyahu had a telephone conversation with the president of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed bin Zayedafter the latest series of Iranian attacks against the Gulf country. According to reports from the official Emirati news agency WAM on Wednesday, the leader of the Emirates he also received phone calls from the Jordanian sovereign and the prime minister of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. In this context, new diplomatic attempts are emerging. Sources close to the negotiations claim that the Iraqi prime minister Ali al-Zaididuring a telephone conversation with the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkianhas expressed availability Baghdad to foster a channel of dialogue between Washington and Tehran. Multilateral contacts also continue. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the existence of consultations aimed at reaching an agreement “useful for both parties”. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi should go to Beijing to meet his Chinese colleague Wang Yia move that confirms the involvement of the Asian channel in the attempt to ease Western pressure and reopen negotiations. On the international level, Trump he declared that the Iranian crisis will be one of the central themes of the summit with the Chinese president Xi Jinping expected to Beijing on May 14th and 15th. The meeting, already postponed in recent months due to military escalation, will be held in a context of strong geopolitical instability with inevitable consequences also on world markets. Speaking at White Housethe American president tried to ease tensions with Beijingdefining Xi “very respectful” and claiming that the China “he’s not challenging” him United States, while remaining among the largest buyers of Iranian oil.
Israel pushes for new attacks
Meanwhile, according to reports Monday by Galei Zahalthe Israeli Army Radio, the defense apparatus of Israel would be pushing for a resumption of military operations againstIran. Various sources claim that some security leaders believe new raids are necessary, convinced that an increase in military pressure could change the Iranian attitude in the ongoing talks. Also according to the report, various objectives identified by Israel during the last phase of the war — including Iranian energy infrastructure and oil facilities — would not have been hit and may now be back in the crosshairs. A senior Israeli official explained that “there is a possibility” that new operations will be induced Tehran to take a more flexible position, while admitting that there are no guarantees. The same leader underlined that a new offensive could further increase pressure on Iran without necessarily forcing it to accept all the requests made by Israel And United States. Regarding developments in the Persian Gulfsecurity sources believe that at this stage it should be above all the United States that manages the evolution of the crisis. Israel, according to this approach, should intervene only in the case of a direct Iranian attack against its territory. The same officials also highlighted the recent outbreak of protests in an Iranian bazaar, interpreting them as a sign of increasingly heavy economic pressure on Tehran. «The blockade is hitting theIran. Every day that passes the pressure increases, but we cannot wait indefinitely. If the decision is made to relaunch the offensive, it will have to happen quickly,” they said.
