FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Tensions rise between the US, Iran and Israel; no sign of progress in peace negotiations
Iran said on Wednesday it had fired cruise missiles at the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, just hours after the Iranian military dismissed any possibility of a deal with the United States to end the conflict.
According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the missile attack “forced the US Navy to change its position.” There has been no official response from US Central Command (CENTCOM), which has previously publicly denied similar Iranian claims.
The aircraft carrier "USS Abraham Lincoln" is in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation "Epic Fury", which is expected to enter its fourth week this Friday.
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump declared from the Oval Office that Iran had fired over 100 missiles at one of the US aircraft carriers, adding that "all of them were shot down."
Meanwhile, Iran's top military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said in a video published by Fars that Tehran "will never reach an agreement" with Washington. This statement came after the US had conveyed a 15-point peace plan through Pakistani mediators.
"We will never agree with you, not now and not ever," Zolfaghari said, adding that the US's "strategic power" has turned into "strategic failure."
According to the Wall Street Journal, US demands include dismantling Iran's nuclear capabilities, handing over enriched uranium, limiting its missile program to defensive purposes only, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, and cutting off funding for allied armed groups.
In return, Iran is demanding the lifting of all sanctions and the closure of US bases in the Persian Gulf. A US official has called these demands "unreasonable and unrealistic."
Meanwhile, military operations continue with no signs of slowing down. The Israeli military announced that it had carried out several waves of attacks on Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran and warned that further details would be released.
A day earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had struck military production facilities in the city of Isfahan, including submarine construction facilities and support systems for the Iranian navy.
In a separate statement, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that Israel has carried out over 15,000 strikes on Iran since the start of operations on February 28, a figure more than four times higher than that of the 12-day conflict last June.
Lini një Përgjigje