Israel warns Europe after Iran's latest surprise attack: “Paris, Berlin, Rome – all in range” / New Iranian attacks in the Gulf. Tehran's condition for peace
The war in the Middle East has entered its fourth week, and Israel has threatened that its and the United States' attacks will increase “significantly”. The US military said on Saturday that it had struck more than 8,000 targets so far. The campaign against Iran, which has continued to retaliate by attacking Israel and other countries in the region, is “halfway there,” Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said.
Referring to the Iranian attack on Friday night, which targeted an American-British military base off the Indian Ocean, the head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a warning to European countries.
“Just yesterday, Iran launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers at a US target on Diego Garcia Island. These missiles were not intended to hit Israel. Their range reaches the capitals of Europe – Berlin, Paris and Rome are all within direct threat range,” Eyal Zamir said in a video message Saturday night, according to The Times of Israel.
The Wall Street Journal wrote that the attack failed after one missile suffered a technical failure and the second was intercepted by the US defense systems' SM-3 missiles. Even so, the Range of over 4,000 km is a record for the Iranian arsenal, being double the capability previously known to the West.
“We're halfway there, but the direction is clear”
The IDF chief said the “direction” of the campaign launched by Israel and the US against Iran on February 28 “is clear”.
“We are halfway there, but the direction is clear. In about a week from Pesach, the holiday of freedom, we will continue to fight for our freedom and our future,” the Israeli official added.
He claims that the regime in Tehran has suffered “extensive damage” over the past three weeks, and it is “beginning to accumulate into a systemic-strategic, military, economic and governmental achievement.”
“As a result, the evil regime is weaker and Iran is more exposed and lacks significant defense capabilities. The regime's leaders, who have developed capabilities to destroy us, are affected and confused,” IDF chief Eyal Zamir said.
Tehran's conditions for peace
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that an “immediate cessation of aggression by the US and Israel, along with guarantees against their future repetition,” was the only way to end the war and prevent a wider regional catastrophe, The Guardian reported.
Speaking on the phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Iranian leader said any solution must include firm guarantees to prevent future military attacks against Iran, according to a statement issued by Iran's embassy in India.
The parliamentary committee on foreign policy and national security circulated an additional condition for ending the war. Through the voice of a spokesman, the forum said Iran should be given a permanent seat on the UN Security Council with veto power, according to the opposition publication Iran International, a Persian-language satellite TV channel and multilingual digital news agency based in London.
New Iranian attacks on countries in the region
Tehran said on Saturday that its naval forces destroyed facilities at Al-Mihad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, which it accuses of being used in attacks against Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
Escalating Iranian attacks against Gulf nations pose a serious threat to regional stability and security, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned on Saturday. Egypt's leader condemned the attacks and sent a message of solidarity with the Kingdom and the other affected countries.
Repeated attacks have also been reported at the Victory Base in Baghdad, Iraq. The operations have not been claimed, but the base has faced numerous strikes by Iran-backed militias in recent days.
The base houses a logistics support center for the US and the Iraqi Air Force. There is also a prison nearby that holds approximately 5,000 prisoners, fighters from the armed group ISIS, being a very important location for both Iraq and the US.
Iran threatens to hit 'parks' and 'tourist destinations anywhere in the world'
Iranian military spokesman General Abolfazl Shekarchi said on state television that “tourist destinations anywhere in the world” could become Tehran's targets.
“From now on, based on the information we have about you, even parks, recreation areas and tourist destinations anywhere in the world will no longer be safe for you,” the Iranian military official said, according to the AP and New York Post.
Shekarchi's statement, which did not name specific targets, reignited fears that Tehran could resort to terrorist attacks outside the Middle East to pressure its adversaries.
More than 20 countries, including Romania, statement regarding the unblocking of Hormuz
The joint declaration on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a major energy route now targeted by an Iranian blockade, was signed by more than 20 countries, including Romania.
The countries that joined the initiative express their “willingness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure freedom of passage through the Straits” and welcome “the commitment of nations participating in preparatory planning in this regard.”
In addition to Romania, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Bahrain, Lithuania, Australia and the United Arab Emirates also joined the declaration originally signed by Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, according to the update on the British government website.
In peacetime, roughly one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz, but the implications of the Iranian blockade go beyond energy. For the Persian Gulf countries, it is the route of most of the shipments of food that the region imports, CNN wrote in an analysis.
