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Gaza Amid Wider War
The Associated Press said Israel has carried out strikes in Syria and in Gaza as Egypt tried to revive Iran-U.S. negotiations and Iran’s president claimed the world accepts that his country has won the war.
“Israel has carried out strikes in Syria and in Gaza.”
The Ottumwa Courier reported that France and Saudi Arabia were expected to discuss plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has greatly slowed since the United States and Israel launched the war nearly six months ago.
In the same wider context, the Associated Press said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty discussed efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table to settle the war.
The Associated Press also reported that there was no immediate statement from Araghchi after he briefed Egypt’s foreign minister about “Iran’s view of ongoing developments, the course of negotiations and their challenges,” without elaborating.
Iran’s Claims, U.S. Response
The Associated Press reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war with the U.S. should end since the world has accepted that Iran has won, state media reported Friday.
The Ottumwa Courier said U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria remarks appeared to contradict the official U.S. position on the Golan Heights, while Israel carried out strikes in Syria and in Gaza.
The Associated Press quoted U.S. President Donald Trump saying his administration would impose an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Associated Press also described how Iran and Iraq said Tehran helped some ships carrying Iraqi oil to transit the Strait of Hormuz, with Iraqi President Nizar Amidi saying “There is facilitation for some ships carrying Iraqi oil in the Strait of Hormuz,” and adding that Iraq doesn’t have a national carrier for transporting oil.
Regional Moves and Stakes
The Associated Press said Egypt’s foreign ministry described talks between Abbas Araghchi and Badr Abdelatty as efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table to settle the war.
“during the Saudi leader’s two-day visit to Paris that starts on Sunday”
The WKMG report said France and Saudi Arabia were expected to discuss plans to develop alternatives routes to the Strait of Hormuz during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s two-day visit to Paris that starts on Sunday, according to officials in the presidency who weren’t authorized to be publicly named.
The WKMG report added that proposals included increasing trade through Omani ports outside of the Persian Gulf, expanding or doubling pipelines in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, and developing new rail links, while also saying France and Saudi Arabia had formed a task force on energy and logistics connections between the Middle East and Europe scheduled to meet at the ministerial level Monday.
In the same regional picture, the Associated Press said the U.N. considers the Golan Heights occupied Syrian land, while it also reported that in March 2019 Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and that this month Colombia became the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory.