Even as US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day delay in attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure, claiming progress in talks, reports suggest the US is considering deploying 10000 more troops to the Middle East. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US is mobilising forces to join the Marines and paratroopers for an invasion of Iran’s crucial oil export point, Kharg Island.
Trump insists that the talks are going well, though Iran denies any direct or indirect talks and suggests it has received America’s list of 15 points ‘terms of negotiation’ from a friendly country, which it has dismissed. In response, it has put forth its own five conditions for a ceasefire.
On the other hand, Iran appears to be unfazed by these moves and is carrying out what it calls defensive strikes against Israel and the United States military assets across the Gulf region. Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, from which 20% of the world’s oil is transported.
Many analysts suggest that Iran has the upper hand since its regime is intact, and despite the US’s claim, it is able to retaliate against its facilities and infrastructure in equal terms. In fact, lately, the intensity and frequency of its attacks have only increased.
On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a video address, condemned the killing of 175 students of an elementary school in Southern Iran as “a calculated strike”, demanding unequivocal condemnation.
