Since then,more than 2,000 people have been killed, the global economy has gone haywire,sending oil prices surging with missile strikes erupting all over the Middle East.
Iran has denied talks had been held. ‘No negotiations have been held with the US,’ Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf posted on X,adding that ‘fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets.”
Trump threatened over the weekend to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants unless the country releases its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz,through which a fifth of all traded oil passed before the war,within 48 hours.
Thai ship Mayuree Naree burns after an Iranian USV strike in the Strait of Hormuz on March 11 (Pictures: EPN/Newscom / Avalon)
Iran has insisted that ‘safe passage’ in the Strait of Hormuz is possible for non-enemies. Vessels with ties to China,India and Pakistan are among those that have already passed through.
Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House in response to his handling of the Iran war.
Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the cost of living,as gasoline prices surgedand his promise to avoid ‘stupid wars’. The survey found 35% of Americans approve of the US strikes on Iran.
Israeli army spokesman Effie Defrin said in a televised statement that Iran fired dozens of missiles on Israel in the war’s first and second days but this number ‘dropped quickly’.
He attributed that to Israel’s continued strikes on military headquarters,launch sites and missile production sites across Iran.
Although the volume of missiles has decreased,Iran has kept up and indeed increased the pace of its launches, sending millions of Israelis into shelters multiple times a day,with failed interceptions causing deaths and injuries.
Now,Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says his country is ready to ‘facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks’ to end the Iran war.
‘Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran,Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,’ Sharif wrote on X.
