Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States has no talks planned with Iran, while insisting that the Strait of Hormuz remains “open and operating” despite reduced ship traffic and a reported strike on a vessel leaving the waterway. His remarks came as Oman and Iran continued talks on reopening the strait, and as tensions persisted across the wider Middle East.
advertisement
The developments came alongside fresh regional flare-ups. Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a drone attack on a Saudi oil refinery, an Israeli strike in Gaza City killed six people and wounded 14 others, and the United Arab Emirates said two ballistic missiles were launched from Iran towards its waters, a claim Tehran later denied. Earlier this week, Trump also threatened to bomb Oman as it sought a deal with Iran to manage shipping through the strait, two regional officials said, a day after he reportedly threatened action if Oman “gets in the way”. Iran has said the waterway will not be reopened until the US meets its conditions.
As Oman and Iran said they were nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump wrote on social media that the US blockade of Iranian ports remains “in full force and effect”. He also said all water mines had been removed and that other marine traffic was free to pass. Trump posted a map depicting the strait as US territory. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond on X, writing: “Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man.” Officials briefed on the US position said Washington opposes parts of the proposed Iran-Oman deal, including joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route and the collection of voluntary fees from vessels, even if the money is used for security and maritime environmental protection. The White House referred on Tuesday to Trump’s Oval Office remarks and declined further comment on Oman.
Egypt said the emerging Iran-Oman agreement could open the door to fresh Iran-US engagement. In a statement after a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the deal could help Washington and Tehran return to negotiations for a “comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability”. The statement did not address Trump’s latest threat against Oman. The 60-day negotiating period between the US and Iran ended this week with no clear end to the war in sight.
Ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply last week, with confirmed crossings down 19.5 per cent to 95 transits, according to shipping data platform Kpler. Only three vessels passed through the waterway on Sunday. The ships used the Iranian-designated route, with no crossings recorded through the Omani routes. Crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait rose 6.7 per cent to 254 transits, while so-called dark transits, in which ships switch off the transponders that broadcast their location, fell from 40 to 16, Kpler said.
Separately, the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said an unidentified projectile damaged the engine room of a ship in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman and “resulted in a crew casualty”. It gave no details about the vessel or its cargo and it was not clear whether the crew member was killed or wounded. No environmental damage was reported, and the agency said the Omani Coast Guard was assisting the remaining crew while authorities investigated.
In another development, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they fired drones at an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. The Houthi-run SABA news agency said the target was a facility operated by Saudi Aramco. There were no immediate reports of damage and no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have stepped up attacks on government forces in Yemen, oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea, an important alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz.
In Gaza, an Israeli strike hit Gaza City on Tuesday, killing six people, including a child, and injuring 14 others, according to Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas commanders in the Shati area who it said were planning attacks on Israeli forces. The heaviest fighting has eased since a ceasefire took hold in October in the war that has lasted more than two years, but Israeli forces have continued airstrikes that Gaza health officials say have killed at least 1,266 Palestinians since then. The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, keeps detailed casualty records that are considered generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though it does not separate civilians from militants.
The UAE’s defence ministry said two ballistic missiles were launched from Iran towards the country on Tuesday. It said one fell outside the country’s waters and the other landed within them. It was not clear whether air defences intercepted them or whether they fell on their own. No damage or injuries were reported, and there was no immediate statement from Iran at the time. In the weeks after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, the UAE was frequently targeted by Iranian missiles and drones, but Tuesday’s reported attack was the first in weeks. Early on Wednesday, Iran rejected the UAE’s account. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on social media that Dubai’s accusations were “detrimental to ongoing efforts to strengthen trust among the countries of the region and prevent a further deterioration of security” and urged countries in the region not to make “baseless accusations” against Iran.
Overall, Tuesday’s developments showed that while talks over the Strait of Hormuz were continuing, tensions remained high across the region, with disputes over shipping, fresh attacks in Saudi Arabia and Gaza, and a new exchange between the UAE and Iran.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
