US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there have been good talks with Iran even as he reiterated his threats to target Pickaxe Mountain as well as bridges and power plants if a deal is not made with Tehran.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he wanted to avoid targeting Iran’s bridges and power plants if possible.
“It’s a very, very delicate balance. So I think we have a very strong position right now. They know I’m going to do that if they don’t make a deal,” Trump told the “Fox and Friends” program. “We cannot have them break deals anymore.” “We have had some very good talks,” Trump said of Iran.
Trump is due to meet with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House later on Tuesday after the two countries launched strikes against Iran in February.
Trump was asked about reports that Netanyahu plans to talk to him about work happening at a site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme known as Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran’s main nuclear sites.
“I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” the Republican president said, referring to Netanyahu.
“I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal. We don’t make a deal, we’ll take it out very easily,” Trump said.
US bombers used Israeli airbases to attack Iran: Israeli defence minister
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that US warplanes took off from Israeli bases to carry out air strikes on Iran in recent weeks, according to Al Jazeera.
“They [Iranians] know that American aircraft are taking off from here and refuelling aircraft are taking off from here to strike,” he told Channel 14.
“The Iranians have been firing at everything apart from one country, the state of Israel,” he added.
Bushehr Airport crippled by US strikes, Iranian government says
Iran’s government said on Tuesday that Bushehr Airport in the country’s southwest has been rendered inoperable following US strikes, the official news agency IRNA reported.
Speaking at a press conference, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that she and officials visited Bushehr province and inspected the city’s airport, which she described as “effectively out of service.”
“We saw the remains of a refurbished aircraft that had been purchased to serve the people, but it was destroyed by a missile that struck it directly, leaving only a small part of its tail intact,” she said.
Mohajerani said the damage has left the airport unable to operate, but did not provide further details on when the strike occurred or the extent of damage to other airport facilities.
She said the attacks also damaged airports in Iranshahr in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, Semnan in northern Iran, and Bandar Abbas in the country’s south.
The spokesperson said the Bushehr Meteorological Centre was also targeted during the strikes.
“Damage to civilian infrastructure and private property was extensive, affecting everything from fishing boats to tourism businesses,” she added.
According to Mohajerani, 12 bridges and two tunnels were damaged during the attacks. She also said the main railway station in Bandar Abbas, along with two bridges in southern Iran and two in the country’s northeast, sustained damage.
Mohajerani further said that 350 government employees were killed during the war.
Iran’s foreign minister discusses security of Strait of Hormuz with Saudi, Omani counterparts
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi discussed issues related to the security of the Strait of Hormuz in separate phone calls with his Saudi and Omani counterparts on Monday evening, according to a statement published on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
The statement said he “discussed the latest bilateral and regional developments, and emphasised the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region.”
The call between Araghchi and his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, came after Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones launched at the kingdom by Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq.
Iran capable of defending its rights: Kremlin
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Iran has the necessary capabilities to defend its rights, commenting on Ukraine’s drone attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, according to IRNA.
Responding to reporters on Monday, Peskov said Iran is an independent country that firmly defends its rights and possesses the necessary capabilities to do so.
“Previously, Ukraine attacked Germany by blowing up a facility of critically important energy infrastructure. Now it has attacked Iran, striking an Iranian vessel,” he said.
In separate remarks later on Monday, Peskov warned that Ukraine’s attack on the Iranian vessel represented another round of escalation by Kiev and could signal an expansion of the geographical scope of the conflict.
An Iranian commercial vessel, owned by the private sector and carrying rolled steel sheet cargo, came under a Ukrainian drone attack in the Caspian Sea on Saturday.
Iraqi resistance rejects Saudi statement of drone attacks from Iraq’s soil
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq on Tuesday rejected Saudi Arabia’s statement that drone attacks against oil facilities in the kingdom originated from Iraqi territory, as per IRNA.
According to Iraqi media reports, the group said in a statement on Monday that any such action by Saudi Arabia would be met with a severe response that would leave the kingdom “deeply regretful.”
The statement said Riyadh’s repeated accusations that Iraq was the origin of attacks on oil facilities in the country’s Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh, reflected continued hostility toward Iraq. The group then dismissed the allegations.
Omani proposal to Iran on Hormuz has regional backing, source says
Oman has presented a proposal to Iran for a joint regional mechanism to manage the Strait of Hormuz with voluntary fees, a Gulf source told Reuters on Tuesday
The Omani proposal has regional backing, the source added.
Under the Omani proposal, Iran would not exercise sole control of the vital waterway, an unnamed Gulf source told the agency, according to Al Jazeera.
The proposal is based on the Strait of Malacca, where those who use the strait voluntarily contribute to funding navigation, environmental protection, and search and rescue.
The US abruptly suspended a campaign of air strikes against Iran over the weekend, raising hopes of a diplomatic solution that would allow shipping to resume in the Strait of Hormuz, which carried one-fifth of global energy supplies before the US-Israel war on Iran.
Iran says 12 bridges and two tunnels damaged in US attacks
Iran’s government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani says in addition to the destruction of public infrastructure, people’s private property suffered “very extensive” damage in recent US attacks, according to Al Jazeera.
“Fishing boats that were the only source of livelihood and employment for fishermen in the region were severely damaged, in addition to tourism businesses,” she said in a televised news conference.
Mohajerani said 12 bridges and two tunnels were targeted in the latest US strikes.
Iran lost 230 mcm of gas production capacity due to war, government spokesperson says
Iran lost around 230 million cubic metres of its gas production capacity because of the war with the US and Israel, Iranian government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, said in a televised news conference on Tuesday.
Jordan, UN stress need to uphold US-Iran ceasefire
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met in Amman and discussed “the repercussions of the dangerous escalation the region is witnessing” as well as efforts “to restore calm and lasting security”, according to a Jordanian statement as per Al Jazeera.
The two men on Monday “affirmed the importance of committing to the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, and resuming negotiations to reach a comprehensive solution that addresses all causes of tension and ensures freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law”, the statement said.
Safadi also stressed the need to implement all items of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and lift Israeli restrictions blocking sufficient humanitarian aid into the Strip, which continues to face a humanitarian catastrophe.
On the occupied West Bank, Safadi “affirmed the necessity of concerted efforts to stop the illegitimate Israeli actions that entrench the occupation, drive further tension and violence, and undermine all chances of achieving just and comprehensive peace”.
GCC, Egypt slam drone attacks on Saudi Arabia
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned Monday’s drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, calling them “a dangerous escalation” and “a direct threat to the security and stability of the region”, according to Al Jazeera.
In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi also reaffirmed the bloc’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures the kingdom takes to protect its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs similarly called the attacks “a violation” of Saudi Arabia’s “security and stability, and an escalation that could undermine security and stability in the region”. It reiterated “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and support for its response.
Houthis attempting to emulate Iran’s Hormuz model in Red Sea: Yemeni official
A senior Yemeni official said on Tuesday that Yemen is worried Houthi rebels are attempting to emulate Iran’s attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz, after the group announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia.
The “Houthis want to copy the Iran experience in Hormuz,” foreign minister designate Afrah al-Zouba told reporters during a briefing. He said that the rebels were “in harmony” with Iranian escalation in the region.
Saudi foreign minister speaks to Qatari, Kuwaiti and UK counterparts
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has received separate phone calls from Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, according to Saudi state media, as per Al Jazeera‘s reporting.
“During the two calls, the ministers discussed the latest developments in the region and ways to strengthen and support joint efforts to preserve regional security and stability,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
“They also condemned and denounced attacks by Iran and its affiliated terrorist militias in Yemen and Iraq against the Kingdom and other countries in the region.”
Prince Faisal also received a phone call from UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who condemned the Houthis’ attacks against Saudi Arabia, the SPA reported. In his first conversation since becoming the UK’s top diplomat, Miliband also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and affirmed the UK’s commitment to advance bilateral ties, it added.
Trump says US and Tehran having ‘good talks’ as drones hit Iran’s neighbours
US President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States was having “good talks” with Iran, and there was a chance of a deal over their conflict, but he warned that US strikes would resume if the negotiations failed to deliver.
Despite Trump’s optimism, Tehran appeared to quickly test the pause in the US military campaign, with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq reporting drone attacks on Monday.
Washington abruptly suspended a two-week campaign of air strikes on Iran on Saturday in Trump’s latest strategic U-turn in the five-month-old conflict.
“We’re having good talks,” he said. “I think there’s a good chance that something could happen, and if it does, good; if it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.”
At a campaign rally in Michigan later on Monday, Trump said of Iran: “You can’t bribe them. You’ve got to beat them, and we’ll beat the hell out of them. But we’ll see how it turns out. Right now, there are very friendly negotiations going on.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that messages were still being passed between the sides through mediators and Iran had not forsaken diplomacy, but reports that it requested negotiations were “fabricated.”
Read: Trump says there is ‘good chance’ of deal with Iran
“This is not in our DNA,” he said.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that Iran would halt its own attacks as long as Trump’s self-imposed ceasefire continued.
Iran’s central military command later on Monday accused the US of threatening vessels and oil tankers in its territorial waters and of “attempting to implement an illegal maritime blockade”, which it said “constitutes an escalation of the conflict in the region.”
Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones aimed at petroleum targets, including in Riyadh. It said they had been launched from Iraq by Iran-backed armed groups, and it reserved the right to respond.
Separately, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen said they had targeted the East-West Pipeline carrying oil to Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea port of Yanbu in retaliation for Saudi drone incursions.
Tehran also said it remained in control of the contested Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for global energy supplies, which Trump has demanded vessels be able to pass through freely.
Oil prices tumble
Oil prices continued to fall in early trading today following a pause in hostilities between the US and Iran.
Brent crude futures were down $1.47, or 1.66%, at $86.89 by 03:26 GMT, marking the lowest it has been in eight days, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was trading at $81.16, down $1.45, or 1.76%.
Public disapproval of the war has been weighing on Trump and his Republican Party ahead of November midterm elections in which they have to defend slim congressional majorities.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted over the weekend showed Trump’s approval rating ticking higher to 37%, up three points from last month when it tied the lowest of his presidency.
However, just one in three Americans support the Iran war, the lowest Reuters/Ipsos reading since the conflict’s early days, with most saying Trump has failed to explain his goals.
Trump’s decision to suspend US attacks reflected advice from his military that the bombing had reached the limits of what it could achieve, according to a US official and several US media reports.
The US official told Reuters military commanders had advised the president they were running out of targets and that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, had expressed concern over the depletion of air munitions.
Trump dismissed suggestions that the US faced munitions shortages, saying the military was rapidly rebuilding inventories depleted by shipments to Ukraine. He said he would like more of “the more sophisticated stuff.”
Iran media say six ships turned back
Iranian state media outlets said that Iran had turned around six “offending ships” on Monday that had attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz without permission.
Trump launched his renewed bombing campaign to punish Iran after Tehran fired on ships using a route promoted by the United States, which told vessels to sail close to the coast of Oman.
Iran says ships may pass only through a Hormuz channel that runs closer to its own coast, which it controls and where it intends to impose transit fees.
The two weeks of renewed US bombing killed scores in Iran and destroyed bridges and tunnels across the south as well as military targets.
Four US service members were killed in return fire against US bases in neighbouring states. Iran also struck civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries, calling it retaliation for US strikes.
It remains unclear what leverage Washington can exert to break Iran’s grip on the strait.
Washington and Tehran reached an agreement in June on a framework for talks meant to take place by the end of August to resolve major issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme.
But they have disputed the meaning of the memorandum’s language about the strait, with Washington insisting it requires Tehran to allow free travel, while Iran says it grants it the authority to supervise transit.
Putin praises Iran’s ‘mosquito fleet’
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Iran’s “mosquito fleet” in a meeting with Russian naval officers on Sunday, according to the state-run Sputnik news agency, as per Al Jazeera.
“Look at what’s happening in the Middle East conflict zone,” he said.
“Iran using their mosquito fleet have been quite efficient in their warfare. It’s a matter of new technologies. We have these small ships, as in, they are small in tonnage, but they are fitted with state-of-the-art weapons,” he said.
According to Sputnik, Iran’s so‑called mosquito fleet consists of about “20 Ghadir‑class midget submarines and several thousand fast missile and assault boats”. Light and nimble, these vessels can be hidden in tunnels carved into Iran’s rocky coastline, making them difficult for the US to destroy with long‑range weaponry, it said.
