Iran, Israel continue to target each other amid mixed signals over talks to end war

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - DUBAI — Iran launched waves of missiles at Tel Aviv and Israel said it carried out an extensive series of strikes on Iranian “production sites on Tuesday, a day after PresidentDonald Trump said there had been "very good and productive" talks aiming at halting the war unleashed by the US and Israel now raging across the Middle East.

With thousands more US Marines on their way to the Gulf, both sides firing barrages and Iran denying any negotiations are taking place, the war’s tempo remained high a day after Trump delayed his self-imposed deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran’s chokehold on that crucial waterway has snarled international shipping, sent fuel prices skyrocketing, and threatened the world economy.

Pakistan has offered to host diplomatic talks, according to officials from there and two other countries. But Iran remained defiant, vowing to fight “until complete victory.”

Any talks between the US and Iran, which appeared at the most tentative, would face monumental challenges.
Iran remains highly suspicious of the United States, which twice under the Trump administration has attacked during high-level diplomatic talks, including with the Feb. 28 strikes that started the current war.

The US had agreed “in principle” to join talks in Pakistan, according three Pakistani officials, one Egyptian official and a Gulf diplomat, while mediators were still working to convince Iran. The Pakistani officials said the “quiet diplomacy” had grown more complicated since news of the attempts leaked.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide the details to the media.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s office said he has been talking about the war this week with his counterparts in several countries. But Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has called the idea of negotiations with the U.S. “fakenews” — and the spokesman of Iran’s top military command issued a newly defiant statement Tuesday.

“Iran’s powerful armed forces are proud, victorious and steadfast in defending Iran’s integrity, and this path will continue until complete victory,” Iranian state television quoting Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi as saying.

The Egyptian official said efforts are centered on “trust-building” between the U.S. and Iran, with the aim of bringing about a pause in fighting. Israel is not involved.

The official, who is involved in the efforts, said the priority is to prevent attacks on both Iran’s and Gulf Arab countries’ energy infrastructure and that they were working on a “mechanism” for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Three senior Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump appeared determined to reach a deal, but that they thought it highly unlikely Iran would agree to US ‌demands in any new round of negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke to Trump less than 48 hours before their countries began the war, was expected to convene security officials for talks on Trump's bid for a deal with Iran, two senior Israeli officials said.

Talk of negotiations briefly drove down oil prices and boosted stocks. But that respite was short-lived, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard, nudging back over $100 a barrel Tuesday, up nearly 40% since the war started.

Trump’s announcement came as thousands of Marines headed to the region, raising speculation that the US may try to seize Kharg Island, which is vital to the country’s oil network. The US bombed the Gulf island more than a week ago, hitting its defenses but saying it had left oil infrastructure intact.

Iran has threatened to mine the Gulf if the US appears to be on the verge of landing troops.

Trump said he would hold off on a threat to bomb Iran’s power stations while talks unfold — a delay that could be timed to buy time for the Marines to arrive, wrote the New York-based think tank the Soufan Center in an analysis.

Trump has said he has no plans to send ground forces into Iran but has not ruled it out. Israel has suggested its ground forces could participate in the war.

Israel said it carried out an extensive series of strikes on Iranian “production sites,” without providing more information. In Tehran, a massive blast was heard in northern neighborhoods and another in the center of the city.

Iran also fired multiple waves of missiles at Israel.

Iranian missiles triggered air raid sirens in Israel's biggest city, Tel Aviv, where gaping holes were torn through a multi-story apartment building. It was not immediately clear if the damage had been caused by a direct hit or debris from an interception.

Israel's Fire and Rescue Service said they were searching for civilians trapped in one building.

A missile with a 100 kilogram (220 pound) warhead evaded Israeli defenses to slam into a street in the city center, blowing out windows of a neighboring apartment building and sending smoke billowing. Four people suffered minor wounds, rescue service worker Yoel Moshe said.

Israel's military said its fighter jets had carried out a large wave of strikes in central Tehran on Monday, targeting key command centres, including facilities associated with the IRGC's intelligence arm and the Intelligence Ministry. It said it had hit more ‌than 50 ⁠other targets overnight, including ballistic missile storage and launch sites.

Air defence systems were activated across Tehran as explosions were heard simultaneously in several areas of the capital, according to the Iranian news agency Nournews.

At least eight people were killed and 28 injured in a strike on a residential area of Tabriz, a city of 1.7 million in Iran's northwest, the provincial director for crisis management told Tasnim news agency.

In Kuwait, power lines were hit from air defense shrapnel, causing partial electricity outages for several hours. Missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain, the Emirati Defense Ministry said air defense systems responded to ballistic missiles and drones, and Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it had destroyed Iranian drones targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province.

The United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted five ballistic missiles and 17 drones coming from Iran.
Israel is also carrying out a separate operation against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants who have attacked it from Lebanon in support of Iran.

Israel pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday saying that it was targeting infrastructure used by the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group.

A strike on a residential apartment southeast of the Lebanese capital killed at least three people, including a 3-year-old girl, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Another five people were killed in the south.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said it now planned to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River — about a tenth of the country. He said there could be no homes or residents in areas where there was "terror", an apparent reference to Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Lebanon declared Iran’s ambassador persona non grata and ordered him to leave by Sunday.

The dramatic move offers the latest evidence of the deterioration in relations between Lebanon and Iran.

Iranian flights have been banned from landing in Lebanon, out of fear that they would carry weapons or funding for Hezbollah, and some top Lebanese government officials have been critical of Tehran’s role in the country, accusing it of dragging the country into another war with Israel.

Authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million.
Iran’s death toll has surpassed 1,500, its Health Ministry has said. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian strikes. — Agencies