Mediator Pakistan says US-Iran talks ongoing as foes trade attacks
Mediator Pakistan insisted on Thursday that negotiations between Iran and the United States were ongoing, even as Washington carried out a "heavy wave of strikes" on its foe in retaliation for fresh attacks targeting Jordan.
The last two days have seen Saudi Arabia join the US in striking militant groups in Iraq, and Egypt come under fire for the first time with a drone attack at a Mediterranean port.
On Thursday morning, Jordan reported intercepting incoming Iranian missiles for a second day running, while Kuwait said an Iranian strike that hit a building belonging to a Chinese company killed one person.
The return to direct hostilities followed a brief pause in fighting meant to give talks a boost.
"Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on (the) Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.
Pakistan had helped to broker a deal between the warring sides laying the groundwork for negotiations on a permanent resolution, and Andrabi said it was doing its "utmost to bring all parties back" to technical talks under the agreement.
Previous talks between the two parties following an April truce stalled, with the ceasefire collapsing earlier this month and Iran again slamming shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for Middle Eastern oil and gas.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz with US support turned back after one of them caught fire.
- Strikes in Iran -
Earlier, the US military said it had "successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran", hitting dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets including military command centres.
US President Donald Trump had vowed to hit Iran "hard" after Tehran's previous attack on Jordan, its first in the region in days.
Iran's state news agency IRNA reported hits on several cities in the southwestern Khuzestan province, as well as on Qeshm island in the Gulf.
Areas around the cities of Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar and Ahvaz -- all in Khuzestan -- were struck, the agency said, citing provincial authorities.
The Jordanian army reported a new volley of Iranian missiles on Thursday morning, saying five had been shot down, causing no casualties.
Kuwait's defence ministry, meanwhile, denounced a "heinous" Iranian attack that "targeted a building belonging to a Chinese company in the north of the country, resulting in the death of one worker and causing severe material damage".
- Egypt hit -
Since it began in February with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the Middle East war has touched every country in the region, and some outside it.
While energy facilities elsewhere in the region have been repeatedly targeted by drones and missiles, Egypt had been spared until Wednesday, when an attack at a gas import hub sparked a fire that damaged two ships.
The government confirmed on Thursday that a drone was responsible for the blaze, noting that no one had claimed responsibility.
It added that an inquiry was ongoing "to determine the circumstances of the incident and to take the necessary measures to preserve Egypt's interests and national security".
Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler identified the damaged ships as the Energos Winter storage and regasification vessel and the GasLog Salem tanker, saying they had been moved offshore after the incident.
A private security monitor, UK-based Ambrey, reported that the US-owned-and-operated floating storage vessel had been hit by at least one drone.
The authority that manages the port said it remained fully operational "with all terminals and berths experiencing regular vessel arrivals and departures, along with ongoing loading, unloading, and cargo handling of all types".
(W.Uljanov--DTZ)
Featured