U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview Monday. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.”
Iran has threatened to mine the Persian Gulf if its territory is invaded. The United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on the Islamic Republic, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks. Iran struck a key water and electrical plant in hard-hit Kuwait, part of its ongoing campaign targeting the Gulf Arab states.
Trump also said that Iran had agreed to allow 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning and continuing over the next few days “out of a sign of respect.”
“I would only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” he said.
The war has already threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.
Here is the latest:
UAE minister calls for ‘disarmament’ of Iranian missile program
Comments by Noura Al Kaabi, a minister of state at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, offered another signal that the Emirates wants more than just a ceasefire to stop the war.
In a column published by the state-linked, English-language newspaper The National, Al Kaabi denounced the missile and drone attacks targeting her country and Iran’s chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
“We want a normal neighbor,” she wrote. “An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape.”
She added: “We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.”
A petrochemical plant was hit in Iran strike, state media say
The plant is located some 530 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran.
Firefighters put out a blaze at the site, media reported.
A suspected Israeli airstrike hit Beirut on Monday morning
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Oil prices rise in early Monday trading
The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was around $115 early Monday, up nearly 60% from Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran.
Iranian lawmaker suggests Tehran leave Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
The comment by Alaeddin Boroujerdi to Iranian state television comes after hard-liners in Tehran long have suggested taking the step.
“Why should we accept the restrictions?” Boroujerdi said. “We are not seeking a nuclear weapon anyway. But it’s not like that we are supposed to observe the rules of the game and they bomb us.”
The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms. Countries that signed it agreed not to build or obtain nuclear weapons and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct inspections to verify they correctly declared their programs. Iran has been restricting IAEA inspections for years and hasn’t let them visit the three enrichment sites bombed by the U.S. in June.
Latest reports of live fire
— Israel’s military said on Monday morning that it was striking ‘military infrastructure’ across Tehran.
— Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens twice on Monday.
— At dawn Monday, Israel’s military said Iran had launched missiles at the country. It was the first such launch from Iran of the day. Sirens went off in the area near Israel’s main nuclear research center, a part of the country that has been targeted repeatedly over the past days.
...