'Comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency,' says Xi
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has held talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Beijing today, where the leaders discussed conflict in the Middle East.
Russia has sought to cash in on the global energy crisis and soaring gas prices triggered by the Iran war and the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said in April after a meeting with Xi that Moscow could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages, but Beijing has publicly called for an end to hostilities.
“A comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, resuming hostilities is even more inadvisable and maintaining negotiations is particularly important,” Xi told Putin during talks today, according to Chinese state media.
Updated
IRGC warns renewed war could extend beyond Middle East
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened to extend a renewed war beyond the Middle East if the US resumes attacks against Tehran.
The warning came after Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran again if it did not accept a deal to end the conflict.
In a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency in Iran, the IRGC said: “Should aggression against Iran be repeated, the regional war that was promised will this time extend beyond the region, and our crushing blows in places you can scarcely imagine will reduce you to ashes.”
A South Korean oil tanker is passing through the strait of Hormuz, marking the first such case involving a Korea-managed ship since the Iran war began.
“Consultations with Iranian authorities were completed, and the vessel began sailing yesterday. It is passing through the strait very cautiously,” South Korea’s foreign minister, Cho Hyun, said, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency.
He added that the vessel was carrying 2m barrels of crude oil.
Yonhap reported that the tanker began sailing in waters near Qatar yesterday after receiving passage approval from Iran a day earlier. Citing officials, the news agency said no transit fees were paid to Iran for the safe transit of the vessel.
The passage came nearly two weeks after the South Korean-operated HMM Namu was struck by “two unidentified aircraft” in the strait, causing a fire and leaving one of the vessel’s 24 crew members with minor injuries.
The Panama-flagged cargo vessel, operated by South Korean shipping firm HMM Co, arrived in Dubai after the incident for investigation.
Iran has denied responsibility, with its embassy in Seoul saying it “firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement” of its forces. Seoul strongly condemned the attack and said it hoped to identify those behind it through an investigation.
Opening summary: US and Iran trade threats
Welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
Donald Trump warned the US may strike Iran again – a day after he said he had held off a major assault in hopes of a peace deal – but Tehran’s army threatened to open “new fronts” if he went ahead.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been just “an hour away” from relaunching Washington’s attacks on Iran before postponing the order, after weeks of a fragile ceasefire and talks to end the war, which began on 28 February.
The decision apparently followed a further peace proposal submitted by Tehran via Pakistan, which has mediated, and may have been motivated by the reluctance of allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to see hostilities resume.
“You know how it is to negotiate with a country where you’re beating them badly. They come to the table, they’re begging to make a deal,” Trump said. “I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit. I’m not sure yet.”
Oil prices eased on the apparent positive signals from the White House, with Brent crude falling to $110 a barrel, before regaining much of its losses.
In response to Trump, Iran’s army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia warned the Islamic republic would “open new fronts against” the US if it resumed its attacks.
He added that Iran’s military had used the ceasefire as an opportunity “to strengthen its combat capabilities”.
Here are the other main developments:
-
The US Senate has advanced a war-powers resolution that would end the Iran war unless Trump obtains Congress’ authorisation. The vote on a procedural measure to advance the resolution was 50 to 47, as four of Trump’s fellow Republicans voted with every Democrat but one in favour. Three Republicans missed the vote.
-
The Israeli military launched a series of strikes across Lebanon, killing 19 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry. One strike, in the town of Deir Qanun al-Nahr in the Tyre district, killed 10 people including three children and three women, the ministry said.
-
The Israeli army in turn said that it intercepted a drone fired from Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon’s central government have twice extended a US-brokered ceasefire, but Israel says it does not apply to its attacks on Hezbollah.
-
Israeli authorities said 430 activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were taken to Israel after their vessels were intercepted in international waters near Cyprus. Sailing from Turkey last week, the Global Sumud Flotilla is the latest in a string of attempts by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, with the last convoy intercepted by Israeli forces last month.
-
Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Moscow was ready to help with talks between the US and Iran to end the war, according to the Russian Tass news agency. His remarks came as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
-
The United Arab Emirates was rattled by a drone attack on its Barakah nuclear power plant last week. On Tuesday the UAE said it originated from Iraqi territory, where Iran backs groups accused of launching attacks on Gulf nations in the war. The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned the attack. Russia, which often defends Iran, joined the other members.
-
Two Chinese tankers laden with oil exited the strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to shipping data.
