US warns it is capable of resuming war with Iran as deal remains elusive
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Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on May 29.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- US President Trump claimed he was deciding on an Iran deal, outlining terms. However, Iran insisted "no final agreement," calling his statements "a mixture of truth and lies" and demanding frozen assets.
- Regional tensions remain high, impacting energy markets due to Strait of Hormuz conflict. Both US and Iran accused each other of truce violations and military actions in the crucial shipping lane.
- The Lebanon front saw Israeli forces push deeper, crossing the Litani River, while Hezbollah launched drone attacks on Israel. An April 17 ceasefire remains unobserved amid escalating hostilities.
AI generated
WASHINGTON - The United States warned on May 30 it was “more than capable” of resuming war with Iran after President Donald Trump said any peace deal must adhere to his red lines, including Tehran never being able to develop nuclear weapons.
The White House had signalled Mr Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the conflict.
US sources had told AFP the deal was waiting on Mr Trump’s sign-off, but he made no decision after a White House Situation Room meeting on May 29.
Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, while attending a defense summit in Singapore, said on May 30 that Washington was “more than capable” of restarting the war.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X that American forces “remain present and vigilant across the region”.
The efforts to reach a deal were thrown into question this week by US strikes on the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, countered by retaliatory Iranian fire.
Iran’s IRNA state news agency said air defences shot down a drone “belonging to the US-Zionist aggressor enemy” on May 30, citing a statement from the army.
Nevertheless diplomacy continued, including to stop fighting in Lebanon, which Iran has insisted be included in any end to the war and where Israeli forces advanced further even as military delegations from both nations met at the Pentagon.
Mr Trump said his priorities in any deal include Iran agreeing to never develop nuclear weapons and the re-opening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
“President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines,” a White House official told AFP, adding: “Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
Competing conditions
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, pushed back on Mr Trump’s conditions, saying the Islamic republic “said goodbye to the language of ‘must’ 47 years ago.”
Exchanges of messages were continuing, he added, but “no final agreement has been reached yet”.
In his social media post, Mr Trump said Tehran would remove mines in the Strait of Hormuz and end its blockade of the waterway with “no tolls,” while the US would lift its blockade.
The two countries would coordinate on removing and destroying Iran’s enriched uranium, he said, adding that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice”.
Iran’s Fars news agency, however, cited sources as saying that Tehran was demanding “the immediate release of US$12 billion (S$15 billion)” before moving to the next phase of negotiations.
On the toll-free reopening of Hormuz, the sources said, “no such clause appears in the text of the agreement,” while Mr Trump’s comment on destroying Iran’s nuclear material “is fundamentally baseless”.
Iran’s ISNA news agency on May 30 cited lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying a plan “to implement Iran’s management and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz will soon be approved by Parliament”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the US blockade in the strait remains in place and its ships “are receiving warnings from CENTCOM to stop and not cross the blockade line.”
“Both sides are speaking in a way that keeps their supporters satisfied. It’s not clear who is telling the truth,” Mr Ali, a resident of the city of Tonekabon north of Tehran, told AFP.
Fighting in Lebanon
Fighting continues on the war’s Lebanese front.
Israel’s military issued evacuation warnings on May 30 for residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had pushed deeper into the country.
Smoke billowing from southern Lebanon following an Israeli air strike on May 29.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Israel has kept up its heavy bombardment of south Lebanon, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasising in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “the need to exert all efforts to reach a ceasefire”.
A truce between Israel and Hezbollah began on April 17 but has never been observed, with both sides accusing each other of violating it.
In early March, Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel over the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion.
Israel and Lebanon began direct talks in April, with a fourth round expected next week. AFP
