WASHINGTON: International worries that the Trump administration is sliding toward war with Iran flared into the open amid skepticism about its claims that the Islamic Republic poses a growing threat to the US and its allies in the Arabian Gulf and beyond .
The US military on Tuesday rebutted doubts expressed by a British general about such a threat. President Donald Trump denied a report that the administration has updated plans to send more than 100,000 troops to counter Iran if necessary. But Trump then stirred the controversy further by saying: “Would I do that? Absolutely.”
The general’s remarks exposed international skepticism over the American military build-up in the Middle East, a legacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq that was predicated on false intelligence. US officials have not publicly provided any evidence to back up claims of an increased Iranian threat amid other signs of allied unease.
As tensions in the region started to surge, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said his nation was worried about the risk of accidental conflict “with an escalation that is unintended really on either side.” Then on Tuesday, Spain temporarily pulled one of its frigates from the US-led combat fleet heading toward the Strait of Hormuz. That was followed by the unusual public challenge to the Trump administration by the general.
“No, there’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,” said Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, a senior officer in the US-backed coalition fighting the Daesh group. Ghika, speaking in a video conference from coalition headquarters in Baghdad, told reporters at the Pentagon that the coalition monitors the presence of Iranian-backed forces “along with a whole range of others because that’s the environment we’re in.”
But he added, “There are a substantial number of militia groups in Iraq and Syria, and we don’t see any increased threat from any of them at this stage.”
Late in the day, in a rare public rebuttal of an allied military officer, US Central Command said Ghika’s remarks “run counter to the identified credible threats” from Iranian-backed forces in the Mideast. In a written statement, Central Command said the coalition in Baghdad has increased the alert level for all service members in Iraq and Syria.
“As a result, (the coalition) is now at a high level of alert as we continue to closely monitor credible and possibly imminent threats to US forces in Iraq,” the statement said.
At the White House, Trump, who has repeatedly argued for avoiding long-term conflicts in the Mideast, discounted a New York Times report that the US has updated plans that could send up to 120,000 troops to counter Iran if it attacked American forces.
“Would I do that? Absolutely,” he told reporters. “But we have not planned for that. Hopefully we’re not going to have to plan for that. If we did that, we’d send a hell of a lot more troops than that.”
Reinforcing Trump’s denial, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a joint news conference in Sochi with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, “We fundamentally do not seek war with Iran.”
A Trump administration official said a recent small meeting of national security officials was not focused on a military response to Iran, but instead concentrated on a range of other policy options, including diplomacy and economic sanctions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Lavrov said Pompeo told him that a potential deployment of 120,000 US troops to the Mideast was only a “rumor.” Lavrov said the international community needs to focus on diplomacy with Iran, including on the potentially explosive issue of Iran’s nuclear program, which is constrained by a US-brokered deal in 2015 that Trump has abandoned.
US Iran envoy Brian Hook told reporters traveling with Pompeo in Brussels that the secretary of state shared intelligence on Iran with allies since “Europe shares our concerns about stability in the Gulf and the Middle East.” What the Europeans do not share, however, is Washington’s more aggressive approach to Iran.
“We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident, with an escalation that is unintended really on either side but ends with some kind of conflict,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Brussels.
“What we need is a period of calm to make sure that everyone understands what the other side is thinking,” Hunt said.
Last week, US officials said they had detected signs of Iranian preparations for potential attacks on US forces and interests in the Mideast, but Washington has not spelled out that threat.
The US has about 5,000 troops in Iraq and about 2,000 in Syria as part of the coalition campaign to defeat the Daesh group there. It also has long had a variety of air and naval forces stationed in Bahrain, Qatar and elsewhere in the Gulf, partly to support military operations against Daesh and partly as a counter to Iranian influence.
Gen. Ghika’s comments came amid dramatically heightened tensions in the Middle East. The US in recent days has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf region, plus four B-52 bombers. It also is moving a Patriot air-defense missile battery to an undisclosed country in the area. As of Tuesday, the Lincoln and its strike group had passed through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, but officials would not disclose their exact location.
Tensions rose another notch with reports Sunday that four commercial vessels anchored off the United Arab Emirates had been damaged by sabotage.
A US military team was sent to the UAE to investigate, and one US official said the initial assessment is that each ship has a 5- to 10-foot hole in it, near or just below the water line. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation, said the early interpretation is that the holes were caused by explosive charges.
The official on Tuesday acknowledged seeing some photographs of the damage to the ships, but those images have not been made public. The official also said that the team is continuing to conduct forensic testing on the ship damage and that US leaders are still awaiting the final report. The team’s initial assessment is that the damage was done by Iranian or Iranian-backed proxies, but they are still going through the evidence and have not yet reached a final conclusion, the official said.
International worries grow over US claims of Iranian threat
International worries grow over US claims of Iranian threat
- US officials said they had detected signs of Iranian preparations for potential attacks on US forces and interests in the Mideast
Netanyahu says Israel working on fresh Gaza hostage deal
- The recent truce had allowed the return of 33 Israeli hostages, eight of whom were dead, in exchange for the release of some 1,800 Palestinians held in Israeli jails
WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday during a White House appearance with President Donald Trump that new negotiations were in the works aimed at getting more hostages released from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
“We’re working now on another deal that we hope will succeed, and we’re committed to getting all the hostages out,” Netanyahu told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump for his part said: “We are trying very hard to get the hostages out. We’re looking at another ceasefire, we’ll see what happens.”
Netanyahu added that “the hostages are in agony, and we want to get them all out.”
The Israeli leader, seated next to Trump, highlighted an earlier hostage release agreement negotiated in part by Trump’s regional envoy Steve Witkoff that “got 25 out.”
Netanyahu’s visit follows the collapse of Israel’s six-week truce with Palestinian group Hamas, whose militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that triggered the war.
The fragile ceasefire ended with Israel’s resumption of air strikes on Gaza on March 18.
The recent truce had allowed the return of 33 Israeli hostages, eight of whom were dead, in exchange for the release of some 1,800 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
The prime minister and his government maintain — against the advice of most hostage families — that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to return the remaining hostages, dead or alive.
Of the 251 hostages abducted during Hamas’s October 7 attack, 58 remain in captivity in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.
Aoun meets US delegation amid latest Israeli strikes
- Motorcyclist killed in southern border area accused by Israel of being Hezbollah commander
- Aoun urges Washington to pressure Israel, as US official insists on reform
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike Monday in southern Lebanon killed one person, according to the Health Ministry, with Israel’s military saying it had “eliminated” a Hezbollah commander.
The attack was conducted by an Israeli drone which targeted a motorcycle repair shop in the border town of Taybeh, with Israel claiming to have struck “a commander in Hezbollah’s artillery system.”
A Lebanese security source said the attack targeted “a motorcycle as its rider stopped in front of a motorcycle repair shop on the Taybeh-Adaisseh road, resulting in his death and a fire breaking out at the location.”
Hezbollah later identified the deceased man as Mohammed Adnan Mansour.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was meant to withdraw fighters from south of the Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure there.
Israel was to withdraw all its forces from southern Lebanon but continues to hold five positions that it deems “strategic.”
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has urged Washington to pressure Israel to withdraw from the five border points, saying the ongoing troop presence “complicates the situation.”
On Monday, the Lebanese government received a message from the US confirming the need to disarm Hezbollah and implement necessary reforms for the country to receive financial aid, with Washington anticipating swift action on these issues.
A delegation from the American Task Force on Lebanon, headed by Edward Gabriel, conveyed the message to Aoun.
Aoun said there is no place for any weapons or armed groups outside the framework of the Lebanese state.
Aoun on Monday said the issue needed to be resolved “through communication and dialogue because, in the end, Hezbollah is a Lebanese component.”
Authorities would soon begin drafting a “national security strategy,” he added.
During a meeting with the delegation, Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s full commitment to UN Resolution 1701, commending the work of UNIFIL south of the Litani River.
Aoun pointed to “Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement,” saying that “Israel’s continued presence in the five hills it occupied will not be beneficial for Lebanon and will further complicate the situation.
“Therefore, we call on the US to pressure Israel to withdraw from them,” he added.
“The Lebanese Army, north of the Litani River, dismantled six camps that were under the control of Palestinian groups outside the refugee camps,” Aoun continued.
“They are now empty, and the weapons found were either confiscated or destroyed.”
Aoun confirmed that “the priority is to reduce tension in the south.”
He added: “The will is there, and the UNIFIL are doing their job to the fullest. But we must take into account that they are bearing many responsibilities. Lebanon needs time to resolve matters calmly.”
Aoun noted that “three weeks ago, the government approved the recruitment of 4,500 soldiers to boost our preparedness in the south.”
He emphasized to the American delegation that “reforms and the disarmament of weapons are demands from Lebanon, as well as from the international community and the US. We are committed to working towards these goals, and building trust is a step we have already initiated.”
Gabriel spoke about the “significant recognition of the efforts made by the Lebanese Army and the commendable work of the president.”
He stated: “I understand that your contribution to this was extremely important, and there are still many tasks that need to be completed, which we have been made aware of. The sooner these are carried out, the quicker we can assist you.”
Gabriel revealed that “a funding bill is being prepared in Congress for the upcoming year, along with three significant pieces of legislation included in the economic package.”
Aoun also met on Monday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss the outcomes of the visit of US Deputy Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus to Lebanon last weekend.
According to a political observer, the emphasis was placed on “expediting the approval of reform laws in parliament” after “constructive and positive” discussions with Ortagus.
Less than 24 hours before the strike on the motorcycle repair shop in Tayah, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in Naqoura.
Israeli Army spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed that the “targeted people were two members of Hezbollah who worked on an engineering vehicle in the Zebqin area of southern Lebanon, attempting to reconstruct infrastructure associated with Hezbollah.”
Meanwhile, in more positive news, Pierre Achkar, president of the Federation for Tourism and the Hotel Association in Lebanon, said that Eid Al-Fitr brought a significant influx of Qatari and Kuwaiti tourists to the Mediterranean country.
“While Iraqis had historically been the top tourist group, followed by Jordanians, Egyptians, and Syrians, Qataris and Kuwaitis now make up a larger portion of visitors to Lebanon,” he said.
“The occupancy rate in hotels located in safe areas and downtown reached 70 percent to 80 percent, while others saw 50 percent to 60 percent occupancy rates,” he added.
Achkar expressed hope that, with the increasing number of Gulf tourists, travel bans on Saudi and Emirati nationals visiting Lebanon would be lifted “as their presence could significantly benefit the Lebanese tourism sector.”
Elsewhere protests broke out in Lebanon on Monday across the country in response to a global call for solidarity with the people of Gaza. Many educational institutions and markets went on strike, and the Lebanese military implemented strict security measures around the US Embassy to prevent protesters from gathering in the area.
Trump announces direct Iran nuclear talks during meeting with Netanyahu
- Trump’s announcement came day after Iran dismissed direct negotiations on new deal
- US president pulled out of last deal in 2018 during first presidency
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said the United States would start direct, high-level talks with Iran over its nuclear program on Saturday, in a shock announcement during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We’re having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday after a meeting that was meant to focus on Israel’s bid to avoid US tariffs.
“Maybe a deal’s going to be made, that would be great. We are meeting very importantly on Saturday, at almost the highest level,” he said.
Trump’s stunning announcement came a day after Iran dismissed direct negotiations on a new deal to curb the Islamic republic’s nuclear program, calling the idea pointless.
The US president pulled out of the last deal in 2018 during his first presidency and there has been widespread speculation that Israel, possibly with US help, might attack Iranian facilities if no new agreement is reached.
Trump said “everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious — and the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it.”
The surprise announcement came as Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to personally plead for a reprieve from stinging US tariffs that have shaken the world.
The Israeli premier pledged that he would “eliminate” the trade deficit between the two countries and also knock down trade “barriers.” His country moved to lift its last remaining tariffs on US imports ahead of the meeting.
Netanyahu said he felt Israel could serve “as a model for many countries” when it came to negotiating on tariffs.
Netanyahu and Trump also discussed Gaza, where a short-lived, US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas has collapsed.
Netanyahu said that new negotiations were in the works aimed at getting more hostages released from war-torn Gaza.
“We’re working now on another deal that we hope will succeed, and we’re committed to getting all the hostages out,” Netanyahu said in the Oval Office.
Trump also doubled down on his plan for the US to “control” the Gaza strip — which he described as a “great piece of real estate” — which he initially announced when Netanyahu last visited him in February.
Earlier, Trump greeted Netanyahu outside the West Wing and pumped his fist, before the two leaders — both wearing dark suits, red ties and white shirts — went inside for a meeting in the Oval Office.
A planned press conference between the two leaders was canceled at short notice without explanation in an unusual move but they spoke to a smaller group of pool reporters at length in the Oval Office.
The Israeli premier’s visit is his second to Trump since the US president returned to power and comes at short notice — just days after Trump slapped a 17 percent tariff on Israel in his “Liberation Day” announcement last week.
Trump refused to exempt the top beneficiary of US military aid from his global tariff salvo as he said Washington had a significant trade deficit with Israel.
Netanyahu met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Sunday night soon after his arrival, according to his office.
The Israeli premier also met Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday.
‘As soon as possible,’ says senior US envoy on timeline for disarming Hezbollah
- Morgan Ortagus says Lebanese people must be ‘free from foreign influence, free from terrorism’
- Envoy praises Lebanon’s new cabinet, describing ministers as ‘real patriots’ with clear vision for reforms
LONDON: Hezbollah and all militias in Lebanon must be disarmed “as soon as possible,” US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus has told the Lebanese broadcaster LBCI.
Ortagus, who was speaking to LBCI’s Toni Mrad in an interview aired on Sunday, emphasized President Donald Trump’s firm position that only by disarming militant groups could the Lebanese people be “free from foreign influence, free from terrorism, free from the fears that have been so pervasive in society.”
Speaking during her second visit to Lebanon, where she has held “fantastic meetings” with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Ortagus also reiterated Washington’s continued support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, while stressing that disarmament remained a central pillar of any meaningful recovery.
“We, of course, always bring up disarming Hezbollah, but not just Hezbollah, all militias in this country,” Ortagus said.
“President Aoun said clearly in his inaugural speech that he wanted the state to have the monopoly of force, he wanted the state to be the one with the weapons. That is a position that we support,” she added.
When asked to outline a timeline on disarming the Iran-backed group, Ortagus said there was “not necessarily a timetable,” but that it should happen “as soon as possible.”
She continued that the US had been providing aid and assistance, training, funding, and equipment to the LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) for decades.
“That’s a very important American priority. Now that we’re in this new era — where the LAF is really able, under President Aoun’s leadership, to exert more authority over the state — we want to help them move toward those goals. Those goals are real; they’re clear,” she said.
Ortagus, who served as spokesperson for the State Department during the first Trump administration, said she was “very encouraged” by Lebanon’s new cabinet, describing its ministers as “real patriots” with a clear vision for reforms. This was in stark contrast to what she described as the “depressing” conditions of the past decade.
When asked whether Hezbollah could play a political role in Lebanon if disarmed, Ortagus responded by reframing the question in terms of broader US policy under Trump.
“I don’t come here as a US official representing the Trump administration to make demands: ‘You must do X, you must do Y.’ Rather, I encourage and say: If you want continued partnership with the United States, you have to meet certain goals and criteria,” she said.
“When I came here the first time, it was important to me that Nawaf Salam did not have Hezbollah represented among his ministers, just as important was that there not be corrupt ministers; corruption has eroded society’s confidence.
“If (Lebanon’s leaders) choose to work together and partner with the US government to disarm Hezbollah, to fulfil the cessation of hostilities, to end endemic corruption, we’re going to be a wonderful partner and friend. And there will be more of that to come.
“But if the government and the leaders choose to slow-walk that or not be part of that vision for Lebanon that we share, that’s a choice they can make. But they shouldn’t expect partnership if they’re not achieving these goals,” she added.
Addressing speculation over potential Lebanese normalization with Israel, Ortagus dismissed the issue as premature.
“I didn’t have a single conversation about that topic here in Lebanon. What we’re focused on now is implementing the cessation of hostilities. We’re focused on disarming Hezbollah. We’re focused on economic reforms,” she said. “You have to crawl before you run; we’re still at the crawling stage.”
On Lebanon’s deepening economic crisis, Ortagus said US support would hinge on reforms, echoing positions taken by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
“Lebanon must get off things like the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) gray list. It must move beyond a cash-based economy. It must return to having a sophisticated financial sector, the one Lebanon used to be known for,” she said.
Ortagus revealed she was struck by a billboard in Beirut that read “Make Lebanon Great Again,” saying she took a photo of it to show Trump.
“I loved that sign,” she said. “If you want to make Lebanon great again, you must implement these reforms. It’s tough, but Lebanon is in one of the worst financial conditions I’ve seen in the past 20 or 30 years.”
Calling the situation “devastating,” she warned that radical change was required to avoid collapse. “To rescue yourselves, you’ll need reforms, and some of them radical, to save the country.”
Ortagus also called for an overhaul of the traditional donor-aid approach to post-conflict reconstruction, advocating instead for increased private-sector investment and innovation.
“Our vision for Lebanon is not just as a donor country always asking for donations,” she told Mrad. “How do we think of a better way to rebuild southern Lebanon? We want people to have jobs. We want them to have hope for the future.”
Pointing to the regional devastation in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, she said the world must “look differently at these war-torn regions” and empower their youth to participate in shaping a more prosperous future.
King Abdullah of Jordan discusses Gaza during summit with Egyptian, French presidents in Cairo
- Leaders urge global community to advocate for end to Israeli war in the enclave
- Israeli attacks undermine diplomatic efforts, risk dragging region into chaos, Jordanian ruler warns
LONDON: King Abdullah II of Jordan emphasized the need to halt the Israeli offensive in Gaza during a summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron in Cairo.
The leaders on Monday urged the international community to advocate for an end to the Israeli war in Gaza, restore the ceasefire agreement, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian coastal enclave.
King Abdullah said that Israeli attacks on Gaza undermine all diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to resolve the crisis and risk dragging the entire Middle East into chaos, the Petra news agency reported.
He stressed the need for a political solution based on the two-state vision, which would ensure security and stability for both Palestinians and Israelis.
King Abdullah said that Jordan opposes the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, warning against Israeli unilateral actions and assaults on Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, the Petra added.
The Jordanian ruler and El-Sisi welcomed France’s support for resolving the Palestinian issue. They highlighted the need for international cooperation, especially from EU countries, including France, to aid in Gaza’s reconstruction.
After arriving in Cairo on Sunday, Macron will travel to Al-Arish, 50 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday to meet with humanitarian and security authorities, and push for a ceasefire. On Monday, he expressed strong opposition to any displacement or annexation in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
King Abdullah, El-Sisi, and Macron highlighted the need for a political solution to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, aiming for lasting peace, the Petra reported.
The Jordanian delegation included the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Ayman Safadi; Director of the King’s Office, Alaa Batayneh, and the Ambassador to Cairo, Amjad Al-Adaileh.
