The war between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other has crossed the one-month mark and the conflict shows no signs of resolution, despite talk of negotiations.
Over the weekend, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis joined Tehran in its fight against Washington and Tel Aviv, raising fears of further disruption to global trade as a result of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, energy prices continue to rise, with benchmark Brent crude hitting $115 at 0000 GMT on Monday.
Negotiations between the US and Iran
There has been little sign of any progress towards a ceasefire since US President Donald Trump backed off strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure last week, citing good and productive talks.
While reports indicated that the Trump administration had sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, no formal negotiations have taken place despite some communication between the two warring parties through back channels and intermediaries, and despite attempts by Pakistan to play mediator.
Rather, the two sides stepped up their rhetoric against each other, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticizing Washington for staging public talks and secretly planning a ground invasion.
Trump, meanwhile, has said he wants to “take the oil” in Iran, and to that end Washington could consider capturing Iran’s oil export hub of Kharg Island.
“Maybe we’ll take Kharg Island, maybe we won’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump said without committing to any action.
Boots on the ground?
Araghchi’s comments on Sunday came after reports suggested the Trump administration was set to deploy 10,000 troops to the Middle East, including about 5,000 US Marines and thousands of paratroopers from the famed 82nd Airborne Division.
A contingent of 3,500 U.S. Marines and soldiers also arrived in the Middle East aboard the USS Tripoli, CENTCOM said Sunday.
But Israel doesn’t seem to want to be part of ground operations — Channel 12 reported that in the event of a US ground operation in Iran, Israeli troops would not be involved.
Strait of Hormuz partially open
The Strait of Hormuz remains a key point of negotiations.
While Iran has opened the strait to what it considers friendly nations — including India, Pakistan, Russia and China — most tankers remain anchored near the strategic waterway amid Iranian threats against enemy vessels.
Regional disruption
As the US and Israel continue to carry out strikes and Iranian retaliation, the entire Middle East remains on edge, with Gulf countries routinely reporting interceptions, explosions and sometimes damage to their territories from Iranian drone and missile strikes.
Early Monday, Kuwaiti authorities announced an Iranian strike on the power plant, adding that one Indian worker had died in the attack.
