Intl desk: United States President Donald Trump said he cancelled a third consecutive day of strikes on Iran, claiming that a deal with Tehran is close to being finalised and a “time and place of the signing” are “to be announced shortly”.
Earlier, Trump had warned that Iran would be hit “very hard” and threatened that US forces would take Iran’s Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Tehran reports that a senior Iranian official said a proposal for a memorandum of understanding with the US is “under consideration” by the country’s top leaders, which might result in a signing, but the timing remains speculative.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out attacks on US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, in retaliation for the second day of US strikes on Iran. The IRGC also announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks on the country have now killed 3,711 people, with 11,483 injured, while Israel’s army continued its deadly bombardment of southern Lebanon on Thursday.
But understandably, Iranians will be very happy to see the end of this war as soon as possible because they have been suffering a lot.
The economy was already in bad shape before the war. The war has compounded that situation.
We have seen people losing their livelihoods, people being killed, including lots of civilians in this war.
Now it is time for it to end. Everybody will be happy about that.
But also, at the same time, the leadership is telling people that it is worth the suffering, because Iran will emerge from this war, this conflict, in much stronger shape.
Because there is the likelihood of the lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of assets, and that Iran, after this deal, will still be able to maintain a kind of leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
So the government is trying to sell the potential agreement to the people and has been talking about sacrifices as something that is necessary for Iran to maintain its dignity and its sovereignty in front of lots of challenges, and two powerful countries trying to just destroy Iran as it is and end its civilisation.
Source: Al Jazeera
