Iran-US Conflict: Pakistan Tries to Restart Peace Talks
Islamabad: An Iranian diplomat arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for talks with Pakistani leaders. They hope to bring Iran and the US back to the negotiating table after their ceasefire pact fell apart. Meanwhile, fighting between the two countries has reached its 10th consecutive day.
The shuttle is being led by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. Pakistan has been pushing hard to reinstate talks between the two sides, but no one knows what a new arrangement may look like. The fighting has already damaged much. Oil ships can barely sail through the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices have spiked, and civilian structures and infrastructure have been struck in both countries.
On Tuesday morning, Iranian forces attacked a tanker in the strait and forced its crew to abandon ship. At the same time, the US carried out additional airstrikes on Iran. But even after 10 nights of bombing, Iran hasn't eased up its hold on the straits. The meaty chunk of the world's oil and gas would normally slither through the waterway.
The truce signed last month has fallen apart already, and maritime traffic through the strait is about to come to a complete standstill. The US State Department warned that Iran and its supporters could strike American interests anywhere.
This hostility prompted oil prices to surge. Brent crude oil is now trading close to $90 a barrel, and gas prices in the US are hovering around $4 a gallon. President Trump also posted online, warning Iran that it would be a costly business to kill any American soldier.
Momeni had apparently met with Field Marshal Asim Munir, the chief of Pakistan’s army, according to two unnamed officials who were not authorized to be named because the meeting was private. He was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later that day.
Pakistan’s government, led by figures like Munir, had helped broker the ceasefire last month. Since then, Islamabad has tried to urge both parties to sit in roundtable discussions to iron out the details of the agreement that have not yet been resolved.
None of the meeting's details have been reported yet. Meanwhile, Iran continued to launch attacks against Gulf countries that support the US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the US is still ready to talk but only if Iran is serious. It's hard to know whether Iran will propose a real step in that direction that Trump would want to accept.
U.S. military officials said their recent attacks targeted Iranian command centers, naval bases, missile and drone launch pads, and airspace defenses. U.S. officials also released a new video of the bombings and said American forces are ready to continue to respond to Iranian attacks against ships trying to pass through the waters peacefully.
Iranian state media reported explosions in multiple provinces, including Fars, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, and Sistan-Baluchistan. Shipments that pass through the strait have also slowed dramatically, with only three ships recorded passing through the strait on Sunday by one tracking group.
Early Tuesday, a tanker was attacked off the coast of Oman, and its crew had to abandon ship. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said they were responsible for that attack and two others on Monday. However, that route off Oman is actually the one the US has been telling ships to take to remain safe from Iran.
There was also a claim about another attack on a ship in the earlier hours of the morning that had not been released to the public until now.
Iran didn't stop there. Saudi Arabia's military said Iran launched five drones and three missiles at the country, but all were shot down. Bahrain, where the US Navy's 5th Fleet is based, also sounded missile alerts following another Iranian attack.
So as Pakistan continues to push for peace talks, the fighting spreads. It's impacting oil prices, shipping, and countries throughout the entire region, and the ceasefire supposed to stop it all has now been completely broken.
