Netanyahu pledges sustained attacks on Iran amid Tehran's rejection of covert talks claims

On Monday, President Donald Trump described his discussions with an unidentified Iranian official as "very good", following his decision to cancel plans for new attacks, amidst Israel's vow to continue strikes against the Islamic republic.

n

Despite Tehran's denial of the talks, Trump's remarks came ahead of a Monday night deadline he had set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, warning that the US would "obliterate" its power plants if the deadline was not met.

n

Oil prices dropped and stock markets surged as observers struggled to interpret Trump's statements, despite the Iranian denial, with Axios citing an unnamed Israeli official as identifying Trump's interlocutor as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's speaker of parliament.

n

Ghalibaf, however, denied that any negotiations were taking place, stating on X that Trump was attempting "to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped".

n

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei reported that messages had been received from "some friendly countries" indicating a US request for negotiations to end the war, but denied that any such talks had occurred, according to Iran's official IRNA agency.

n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged speaking with Trump and noted that the US believed a deal was possible, but vowed to continue striking Iran and Lebanon to protect Israel, stating that "Trump believes there is a chance to leverage the tremendous achievements of the IDF and the US military".

n

Netanyahu also said that Israel would "continue to strike both in Iran and in Lebanon", as the US and Israel had previously launched the war, with Oman having mediated indirect US-Iran talks prior to the conflict.

n

Egypt, Qatar, and Pakistan have been suggested as potential alternative mediators, as the region breathed a sigh of relief after Trump stepped back from his threat to target Iranian power infrastructure.

n

Tehran had previously vowed to deploy naval mines and target power and water infrastructure across the region in retaliation, threatening to escalate an energy crisis of historic proportions, with security analyst Danny Citrinowicz stating that "Trump blinked first — out of a clear understanding that striking Iran's energy infrastructure would trigger a direct and significant retaliation".

n

Trump said his administration was holding talks with an unidentified "top person", but not the country's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to be injured, describing the individual as "very reasonable".

n

Trump warned that if talks failed within the next five days, "we'll just keep bombing our little hearts out", as thousands of US Marines were headed to the Middle East to reinforce America's presence.

n

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

n

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned that 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, stating that "the global economy is facing a major, major threat today".

n

Oil prices, which had been driven above $100 a barrel by the conflict, tumbled sharply after Trump's announcements, with international benchmark Brent crude plunging around 12 percent to $98.95 per barrel.

n

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed "the talks reported between the US and Iran", adding that London was "aware" of discussions, as Trump said there were already "major points of agreement" with the Iranian negotiators.

n

US conditions for the talks included Iran abandoning any nuclear ambitions and giving up its enriched uranium stockpiles, according to Trump, who has reiterated his goal of regime change since the war began on February 28.

n

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

n

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, with Israel expanding its ground campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

n

Israel's attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than a million, according to Lebanon's health ministry, with Israel's army saying on Monday that it captured two Hezbollah members in south Lebanon after they surrendered.

n

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