Iran war updates: Trump says conflict may be ‘short-term’ as oil fears rise
Nations, including China and Russia, contact Iran over a ceasefire
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Tehran’s first condition for a ceasefire is that “no further aggression be launched”, as world leaders increase efforts to end the conflict diplomatically.
Gharibabadi added that several countries – including China, Russia and France – have contacted Iran regarding efforts towards a cessation of hostilities.
Clear military objectives, unclear political objectives’: Analyst
US President Donald Trump suggested, while speaking in Florida, that the US and Israel had, for the moment, left some potentially major targets in Iran untouched, including electricity stations.
But Harrison, the senior fellow at the Middle East Institute who has been speaking with Al Jazeera, said that the comments underscored confusion over the “political objectives” of the war.
He referred to Trump claiming that the US wanted to create conditions for the Iranian people to take over their government. But if the US attacked facilities like electricity stations, Harrison said, it could not reasonably expect support from everyday Iranians.
“The Trump administration has clear military objectives, but unclear political objectives,” he said.
Iran seeks to prolong the war as long as possible
Ross Harrison, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, says the Iranian government seeks to cause as much damage to the other warring powers.
Harrison stressed that, from the Iranian perspective, the war should be prolonged for as long as possible.
“[The end of the war] would just be basically exploited and perceived as weakness by Americans and Israelis, and that would invite further aggression,” Harrison told Al Jazeera.
