LIVE | Trump says 'we've had a regime change' in Iran, but ayatollahs talk of a 'great world war'
Tension in the Middle East soars as unrest grows. Several Chinese oil tankers, allies of Tehran, are held up in the Strait of Hormuz after the Persian country rejects the mediation of the communist regime. The price of oil exceeds $100 per barrel.
A B52 prepares to refuel in the air.
CHAOS. That is the word that best defines the situation in the Middle East following the events of the weekend. To entry into war of Iranian proxies such as the Houthis has been compounded by the contradictory messages between Donald Trump and the ayatollahs. While the former assures that the talks are on the right track, Tehran criticizes attempts to negotiate while preparing a ground invasion and intensifies its attacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the region.
In an unexpected twist, and after Iran rejected a Chinese mediation proposal, several oil tankers from the Asian giant remain held up in the Strait of Hormuz. The price of crude oil once again surpassed the $100 barrier in view of the situation.
The times correspond to Eastern Standard Time.
Iran claims to be in World War III and warns of possible U.S. ground operation
The speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, assured that "they await the ground arrival" of US soldiers to defeat them and "punish forever" their regional allies. "As long as the Americans seek Iran's surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation. We are in a great world war and we must prepare for the winding and difficult road ahead until we reach the top," he said.
Also, the spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Lt. Col. Ebrahim Col. Col. Ebrahim Zolfagari, said that an eventual U.S. ground operation will end with the "humiliating capture" of his troops, who will be "food for the Persian Gulf sharks."
Iran restores power supply to parts of Tehran
Iran restored electricity to parts of the capital and nearby areas after shelling damaged power grids and briefly disrupted supply, the deputy energy minister said Monday.
"Following the enemy attack last night, the power grid in Alborz and Tehran provinces was damaged," Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi said in an interview with state television.
"Theelectricity grid of Iran's entire national grid is stable, in Tehran and Alborz, too, the problems were solved," he added.
Iran confirms death of Revolutionary Guard navy chief responsible for blockade of Strait of Hormuz
Iran confirmed Monday the death of Revolutionary Guards Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri, whom Israel claimed to have shot down last week.
Tangsiri was one of the people in the armed forces best known to the general public and, according to Israel, was responsible for the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The commander "succumbed to serious injuries" stated the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's ideological army, on its Sepah News website.
Israel intensifies attacks against Iran and Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces again bombed Tehran and Lebanon. Again, Israeli aircraft increased the intensity of the strikes in the face of aftershocks from Tehran and Hezbollah.
Previously, it also noted that they were responding to "missiles launched by Iran" and urged the population to seek shelter.
Brent crude oil is back above $115 per barrel
The North Sea Brent barrel was above $115 up 3.2% at around 02H30 GMT. The West Texas Intermediate was also up 3% and bounced above the $100 threshold.
Indonesian blue helmet dies in Lebanon
Indonesia confirms that one of its Blue Helmets deployed in Lebanon has been killed by "indirect artillery fire" and three others have been wounded.
The UN Force in Lebanon had announced the death of a soldier by a shell, but had not specified the nationality.
IAEA confirms Iranian nuclear power plant rendered inoperative after Israeli strikes
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the heavy water nuclear power plant at Arak,in central Iran, was rendered inoperable following an Israeli attack on Friday.
Heavy water is a key compound in the nuclear industry, used as a coolant in reactors.
Trump believes Khamenei's death already brought about a "regime change" in Iran and was optimistic about a deal soon
Donald Trump affirmed that the U.S.-Israel war against Iran brought about regime change in the Islamic republic by bringing about the ouster of supreme leader Alli Khamenei and claimed to be close to a deal to end the conflict.
"But we have had a regime change, if you notice already, because the single regime was decimated, destroyed. They're all dead. The next regime is almost dead. And with the third regime, we're dealing with different people than anybody has ever dealt with before. It's a totally different group of people. So I would consider it a regime change."
Trump assures Iran will let 20 oil tankers through as sign of progress in peace talks
Everything that's happened in the Middle East so far, here
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