Zürcher Nachrichten - Iran fires new wave of missiles at Israel after denying Trump talks

Trump's surprise disclosure -- which prompted a positive response from jittery markets and pushed oil prices down -- came ahead of a deadline he imposed for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane or see the US "obliterate" its power plants.

Trump said his administration was speaking with an unidentified "top person", while warning if talks failed in the next five days "we'll just keep bombing our little hearts out".

Axios, citing an unnamed Israeli official, identified Trump's interlocutor as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's speaker of parliament and one of its most prominent non-clerical figures.

The outlet reported US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may meet an Iranian delegation for talks in Pakistan as soon as this week, with Vice President JD Vance possibly joining.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt did not deny the reports, saying "speculation about meetings should not be deemed as final until they are formally announced by the White House".

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Monday he spoke with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, promising Islamabad's help to bring peace to the region.

But Ghalibaf said on X that "no negotiations" were underway, insisting Trump was seeking "to manipulate the financial and oil markets".

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said messages were received from "some friendly countries indicating a US request for negotiations aimed at ending the war", but denied any such talks had taken place, Iran's official IRNA agency reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken to Trump and acknowledged Washington thought a deal was possible, but vowed to continue striking Iran and Lebanon to protect Israel.

"Trump believes there is a chance to leverage the tremendous achievements of the IDF and the US military... in an agreement," he said.

Early Tuesday, state-run Iranian media reported another round of missiles fired at Israel, and rescue services there showed images of a damaged building in the north but reported no casualties.

Lebanese state media said Israel carried out seven air raids on south Beirut overnight.

- 'Trump blinked' -

On Monday, Iran's neighbours breathed a sigh of relief after Trump stepped back from his threat to target the country's power infrastructure.

Tehran had vowed to deploy naval mines and strike power and water infrastructure across the region in retaliation, threatening to escalate an energy crisis of already historic proportions.

"Trump blinked first -- out of a clear understanding that striking Iran's energy infrastructure would trigger a direct and significant retaliation," Danny Citrinowicz, a security analyst and former Israeli intelligence Iran expert, wrote on X.

Thousands of US Marines are headed to the Middle East, reinforcing America's presence following weekend speculation Trump was mulling ground operations either to seize Iranian oil assets or to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

- 'Major threat' to economy -

Since the war erupted, Tehran has retaliated against US-Israeli attacks by throttling traffic through the Strait, a conduit for one-fifth of global crude, and by hitting Gulf energy sites and US embassies as well as targets in Israel.

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned if the war is protracted, daily oil losses would pave the way for a crisis worse than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Oil prices have been driven above $100 a barrel by the conflict, but they tumbled sharply after Trump's announcements.

Asian markets were up Tuesday, following rises in Europe and on Wall Street in the wake of Trump's announcement.

Trump said there were already "major points of agreement" with Iranian negotiators.

US conditions included Iran abandoning any nuclear ambitions and giving up its enriched uranium stockpiles, he said.

- Lebanon ground campaign -

Trump has offered shifting timelines and objectives for the war, saying Friday he was considering "winding down" the operation -- only to later threaten Iran's power plants, of which it has more than 90.

Netanyahu has spoken of a long-term campaign against Iran's government, a sponsor of Hamas, which launched the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war.

In Lebanon, Israel has expanded its ground campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah, warning of "weeks of fighting", striking southern Beirut again Monday and claiming to capture two Hezbollah fighters.

Israel's attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than a million, Lebanon's health ministry said.

The war has killed at least 3,230 Iranians, including 1,406 civilians, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. AFP cannot access strike sites nor independently verify tolls in Iran.

burs-fox/hmn

J.Hasler--NZN