Iran's army warned on Tuesday (May 19) it would “open new fronts” against the United States if it resumes attacks, after President Donald Trump said he had held off launching a new offensive in hopes of striking a deal.
The warning came amid a shaky ceasefire in place since Apr 8, with Washington and Tehran exchanging proposals in an effort to end the Middle East war, which began on Feb 28.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Gulf leaders had asked him “to hold off on our planned military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place”.
But Trump added he had instructed the US military to be “prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached”.
On Tuesday, Iran's army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia warned “to open new fronts against” the United States if it resumes attacks on the Islamic republic.
He added that Iran's military had used the ceasefire as an opportunity “to strengthen its combat capabilities”, without elaborating.
Qatar, which suffered Tehran's retaliatory strikes following US-Israeli assaults during the war, emphasised that more time was needed for the ongoing Pakistani-mediated efforts to push for Iran-US talks.
“We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown seriousness in bringing parties together and finding a solution, and we do believe it needs more time,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.
CABLE PERMITS
Since the ceasefire took hold on Apr 8, Tehran and Washington have held a single round of talks which failed to culminate in a deal.
All the while, Iran has maintained a tight grip over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.
According to Iran's ISNA news agency, Akraminia reiterated that Iran would continue to manage the strait, saying that the US has little option but to “respect the Iranian nation and observe the legitimate rights of the Islamic republic.”
On Monday, Iran officially announced the formation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage traffic through the strait which it said should be within the boundaries communicated by the Iranian armed forces.
The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, also threatened to put the internet fibre optic cables passing through the waterway under a system of permits.
“Following the imposition of control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, citing its absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil of its territorial sea... could declare that all fibre-optic cables passing through the waterway are subject to permits,” the Guards said in a social media post.
“EXCESSIVE” CONDITIONS
At the same time, Iran's foreign ministry said it has responded to the latest US proposal which Iranian media had described as “excessive” and offering “no tangible concessions”.
On Sunday, Iran's Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.
The US had refused to release “even 25 per cent” of Iran's assets frozen abroad or pay any reparations for war damage, Fars added.
The report said the US had also made clear it would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations.
Iran however has said it insists on its own demands, including the release of the frozen assets, the lifting of long-standing sanctions on the country and war reparations.
But later Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the Iranian negotiating team, said the United States made one new step forward in the latest text by agreeing to waive oil sanctions while negotiations were underway.
Source: AFP
– Agencies
