With the Middle East war now in its third week, both Iran and the US seem determined to continue the fighting.
Denying claims that Tehran requested a ceasefire, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was ready to defend itself for as long as it takes.
“We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,” he told CBS News’ Face the Nation. Iran will continue to fight until US president Donald Trump “comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory”, he said.
His comments came after Trump warned he was not ready to seek a deal to end the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, saying that though he thought Tehran was keen to negotiate a ceasefire, the US would fight on for better terms.
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Israel intends to continue its campaign against Iran for at least three more weeks, with “thousands of targets” still remaining, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin told CNN on Sunday.
“We have thousands of targets ahead. We are not working according to a stopwatch, or a timetable, but rather to achieve our goals,” he said, adding Israel’s aim remains to “weaken the Iranian regime severely”.
The relentless air strikes on Iran by the US and Israel continued on Sunday, day 16 of the war. Missile launchers, air defence systems, senior intelligence officers and government buildings were hit. Israel said it was expanding the scope of its campaign to include more areas in central and western Iran.
Iran fired new salvos into Israel, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters and also continued to hit Gulf Arab states. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates reported fresh Iranian missile attacks on Sunday, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed 10 drones over the capital, Riyadh, and the kingdom’s eastern region.
Trump, speaking on Saturday to NBC News, said the US may bomb targets on Kharg Island, which is the site of Iran’s principal oil export terminals, once more “just for fun”, after US warplanes targeted military installations on the island on Friday.
The conflict has plunged the Middle East into chaos and disrupted oil exports from the region, sending fuel prices rising around the world.
Oil from the International Energy Agency emergency reserves will begin flowing to global markets soon, with member countries pledging to make available 411.9 million barrels, the agency said on Sunday.
After Trump indicated that allied countries could help secure the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said Tehran was open to negotiating with countries seeking safe passage for their vessels through the strategic waterway.
“I cannot mention any country in particular, but we have been approached by a number of countries who want to have a safe passage for their vessels,” he said, noting it was up to the Iranian military to determine who could transit the strait.
European Union foreign ministers will discuss a potential widening of the EU Aspides naval mission to the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. An EU-UN joint naval mission to ensure safe passage was the most likely option, according to the report.
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The Lebanese health ministry said that 850 people have now been killed in Israeli attacks since the start of the war. Close to one million residents are now homeless after Israel ordered people to evacuate Shia areas, mainly in the south and in Beirut’s Dahiyeh quarter.
Israeli troop reinforcements have been sent to the northern border as Israel mulls a deeper incursion into south Lebanon in an effort to stop Hizbullah rocket fire.
