Paris (France) (AFP) – The latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **Iran FM meets Putin**
President Vladimir Putin told Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Russia would do everything it could to halt the Middle East war, as the two met in Saint Petersburg. “For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests, the interests of all the people of the region, so that peace can be achieved as soon as possible,” Russian state media quoted Putin as telling Araghchi.
– **Iran demands over Hormuz**
A top Iranian official said his country’s armed forces would be the authority responsible for the Strait of Hormuz under a proposed national law for managing the waterway. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, told state television the armed forces were already in control of the strait and were seeking to prohibit the passage of “hostile vessels”. Azizi said the law also proposes that money generated from ships’ passage through the strait should be paid in Iran’s rial currency.
– **Trump security meeting**
US President Donald Trump will hold talks on the Iran war on Monday with his top security advisors, US media reported, as negotiations with Tehran remained deadlocked.
– **Israel strikes Lebanon**
The Israeli military said it had begun hitting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon’s Bekaa region, despite a ceasefire that began this month. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said meanwhile that direct negotiations with Israel were aimed at ending the conflict, while accusing those who drew Lebanon into the war of “treason”, in an implicit rebuke to the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
– **Hezbollah rejects talks**
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon’s planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a “grave sin” that will destabilise Lebanon. “We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves,” Qassem said in a statement, calling on authorities to “back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability”.
– **Iran blames US**
Iran’s foreign minister blamed Washington for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse. “The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands,” Araghchi said.
– **Israeli soldier killed**
The Israeli army said one of its soldiers was killed “during combat” in south Lebanon. Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire that has been in place since mid-April.
© 2024 AFP
