WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran on Sunday (May 17), saying it had to move quickly towards a peace deal or “there won’t be anything left of them”.
Washington, locked in conflict with Tehran since US and Israeli forces launched major strikes on the Islamic Republic beginning Feb 28, has struggled to break an impasse and make any progress toward ending a war that has shaken the Middle East and sent energy prices climbing.
“For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving, fast, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Time is of the essence!”
The war has led to an effective blockade of the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which some 20 per cent of global oil exports pass in peacetime, and has drawn neighbours Israel and Lebanon into a deadly side conflict.
Iran’s clerical state, Hezbollah’s patron, has demanded a lasting ceasefire in Lebanon before any broader peace agreement with Trump, who has been frustrated by Tehran’s refusal to accept a deal on his terms.
An Israeli military official said Sunday that Hezbollah had fired around 200 projectiles at Israel and its troops over the weekend, despite Israel and Lebanon agreeing to extend a ceasefire.
Lebanon’s health ministry said new Israeli strikes on Sunday on the country’s south killed five people, including two children.
Israeli attacks since the start of the war have killed more than 2,900 people in Lebanon, including 400 since the truce began on April 17, according to Lebanese authorities.