Článek
What to know about the Iran war today:
- President Trump continues suggesting a deal to end the Iran war could come soon, but as Tehran downplays the prospects of a diplomatic resolution and global oil prices soar again, he's also renewing his threat to strike Iranian power plants and other civilian infrastructure.
- The U.S. now has hundreds of special operations forces in the Middle East as President Trump threatens to "take the oil in Iran," with ground forces possibly being used to seize vital Iranian infrastructure. Iran has warned that it is waiting for the arrival of U.S. forces, "to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever."
- Iran — along with its proxy forces Hezbollah in Lebanon and now the Houthis in Yemen — continues to launch missiles and drones at Israel and Persian Gulf states, with explosions reported Monday around Israeli oil infrastructure in the northern city of Haifa.
China expresses „gratitude“ after, it says, 3 of its vessels transited Hormuz strait
Beijing expressed „gratitude“ Tuesday as it said three Chinese ships had transited the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has all but closed during the war in the Middle East.
„Following coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese vessels recently transited the Strait of Hormuz; we express our gratitude to the relevant parties for the assistance provided,“ foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press conference.
U.S. Gulf allies quietly trying to get Trump to continue the war: AP
Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn't been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to U.S., Gulf and Israeli officials.
After private grumbling at the start of the war that they weren't given adequate advance notice of the U.S.-Israeli attack, and complaining the U.S. had ignored their warnings that the war would have devastating consequences for the entire region, some of the regional allies are making the case to the White House that the moment offers a historic opportunity to cripple Tehran's clerical rule once and for all.
Officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they don't want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there's a dramatic shift in Iranian behavior, according to the officials who weren't authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The push from the Gulf nations comes as Mr. Trump vacillates between claiming that Iran's decimated leadership is ready to settle the conflict and threatening to further escalate the war if a deal is not reached soon.
U.S. bombs Isfahan, likely home to some of Iran's highly enriched uranium
A likely strike by the United States hit the central Iranian city of Isfahan early Tuesday, sending a massive fireball into the sky.
President Trump, who's been insisting diplomatic talks toward a ceasefire have been making progress, shared video of the attack on Isfahan, with fiery explosions lighting up the night sky.
Isfahan is home to one of three sites earlier attacked by the U.S. military in June and some of Iran's highly enriched uranium is likely stored or buried there.
By The Associated Press
4 Israeli soldiers, 3 U.N. peacekeepers killed in Lebanon
The Israeli military said Tuesday that four of its soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, where its forces are clashing with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
A military statement named three soldiers from the same battalion who „fell during combat“ and a separate statement said another soldier, who hadn't yet been publicly named, had died in the same incident.
Another soldier was severely wounded and a reservist moderately wounded, according to the second statement.
In addition, the U.N. mission in Lebanon said two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed when „an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle“ and two other peacekeepers were wounded, one seriously. A third peacekeeper was killed Sunday.
The Israeli military said early Tuesday that it had opened an investigation to determine if it or Hezbollah was responsible.
France, a key player in Lebanon, called for an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting, which was subsequently scheduled for Tuesday.
