US president claims ‘serious discussions’ are ongoing with Iran to end the war in Iran
An attack on a Kuwaiti tanker laden with oil has been blamed on Tehran after US president Donald Trump threatened to obliterate Iran’s energy sources.
The Dubai Media Office said that the tanker was struck by a drone and caught fire.
Officials said all 24 crew members were safe.
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation blamed Iranian forces for the attack off Dubai, according to the Kuwait News Agency .
The White House warned Tehran Monday that the US has capabilities beyond Iran ’s “wildest imagination” if peace talks fail .
The warning comes after Trump threatened to “conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran ” by “obliterating” Kharg Island and other energy facilities if a deal to end the war is not reached .
Trump claimed on Truth Social that Washington was holding “serious discussions” with Tehran on how to bring a resolution to the conflict.But Tehran continues to deny that any direct talks are taking place.
Thousands of US troops have started to arrive in the region as Trump threatened an invasion of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf , which reportedly holds 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports.
Oil prices reversed course in Asian trading early this morning, paring earlier gains, following a report that US president Donald Trump told aides he is willing to end the Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures for May were down $1.22, or 1.08 per cent, to $111.56 per barrel at 2am GMT after rising 2 per cent earlier in the session.
The May contract expires today and the more active June contract was at $105.76.
US West Texas Intermediate futures for May fell 98 cents, or 0.95 per cent, to $101.90 a barrel after hitting their highest point since March 9 in early trading.
Analysts said the fall in prices is a temporary reaction to the idea of the war's end, but any meaningful change in prices would not materialise until flows through the Strait of Hormuz are completely reinstated.
Three UN peacekeepers killed in Lebanon as Israel strikes continue
Three UN peacekeepers from Indonesia were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medics were killed in Israeli strikes.
Two peacekeepers were killed yesterday after an explosion from an unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL said in a statement.
Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast.
Earlier, another Indonesian soldier was killed overnight Sunday into Monday when a projectile exploded by one of the group’s positions by the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr.
Another peacekeeper was critically injured at the time.
The death on Sunday was the first among the UN’s peacekeeping force in the new war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah which erupted on 2 March.
“These are two separate incidents and we are investigating them as two separate incidents,” said UNIFIL’s spokesperson Kandice Ardiel.
Interception debris causes fire in Dubai
Emergency teams responded early this morning to a fire in an abandoned house in Al Badaa, a residential area in Dubai, after debris fell following an air defense interception, injuring four people, the Dubai Media Office said.
Macron to meet with Takaichi to discuss security of the Strait of Hormuz: report
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week to discuss the security of the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported, citing an official from Macron’s office.
The summit will reportedly take place in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil, as the US and Israel continue their attacks against the Middle Eastern country.
Asian countries are particularly reliant on the oil carried through the strait.
Earlier this month, Japan and France joined dozens of other countries condemning the “de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces”.
“We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping”, the joint statement read.
Fire extinguished on Kuwaiti tanker hit by Iranian attack
A fire on board a fully loaded Kuwaiti crude oil tanker hit by an Iranian attack at Dubai Port's anchorage has been extinguished, after the strike damaged the vessel's hull, authorities said.
The apparent strike on the Al Salmi tanker is just the latest in a string of assaults on merchant vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation this morning said that the Al Salmi was struck in an Iranian attack while anchored at Dubai port in the United Arab Emirates, causing damage to the vessel and a fire onboard.
It warned of a possible oil spill in surrounding waters, Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA reported.
Dubai authorities said maritime firefighting teams successfully put out the blaze, which was sparked by a drone attack and continued to assess the situation, adding that no injuries were reported and all 24 crew members were safe.
UK patients told ‘not to worry’ over medicine supply amid Iran war
Patients have been advised "not to worry" about medicine supply concerns despite potential links to the conflict in Iran .
While reassurances are offered, pharmacy bodies are noting early warning signs.
The Independent Pharmacies Association warned the UK faces a "perfect storm of factors exacerbating medicine shortages."
Trump says US is negotiating with Iran's parliamentary speaker
US president Donald Trump has threatened widespread destruction of Iran's energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal to end the war with Tehran is not reached "shortly".
Trump said the US is negotiating with Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, in an interview with the New York Post.
The former Revolutionary Guard commander was previously floated as Washington's negotiating partner, but has denied Iran is talking to the US and said Pakistan-facilitated discussions were merely a cover for American troop deployments.
Meanwhile, Israel has invaded southern Lebanon to push out Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, who have fired rockets and drones across the border, in a campaign that Israeli officials suggest could become a prolonged occupation.
Three UN peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon in less than 24 hours, but it's unclear who was responsible.
US stocks edged higher in shaky trading Monday as oil prices keep climbing because of uncertainty about when the war could end.
Trump tells aides he's willing to end Iran war without reopening Strait of Hormuz: report
US President Donald Trump has told his aides he's willing to end the Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing administration officials.
Trump has decided to use diplomatic measures to resume the free flow of oil and, as a second resort, urge allies in Europe and the Gulf to spearhead the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the report.
Iran destroyed critical US radar plane in strike on airbase.
Experts fear it’s a ‘serious blow’ to the battlefield
Iran’s destruction of a critical American spy plane has raised concerns among military analysts who fear the damage could impact US abilities to spot incoming threats.
Images of the wrecked US Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft show a broken tail that appears to have been severed entirely from the body of the plane.
The Boeing aircraft — a key part of the military’s airborne warning and control system, or AWACS — is capable of tracking hundreds of targets at a time while monitoring thousands of square miles.
The plane itself serves as an airborne command post with a distinctive rotating radar dome above the fuselage.
Images of the plane’s destruction surfaced over the weekend following a strike on a Saudi Arabia air base on 27 March.
Several US service members were injured in the attack.
The loss of one in a fleet of 17 AWACS amounts to “a serious blow” to American surveillance capabilities, according to CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton, a former Air Force colonel who has flown on the aircraft.
Iran destroyed critical US radar plane in strike on airbase, images show
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Related Stories
Source: This article was originally published by The Independent
Read Full Original Article →
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment