Strikes are continuing between Iran and the United States as fears mount over a return to full-scale war. While both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement, the UN says de-escalation is the only way to avoid catastrophic consequences.
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TRANSCRIPT
As the United States strikes Iranian coastal defences, Iranian officials say the country risks being engaged in an 'existential war' with the US.
US President Donald Trump says whether it is a return to war or not, he thinks the US is winning.
“Well, I guess you could define it any way you want, but certainly we're beating them up really badly. They have to be beat up. We're hitting them very, very hard. We're hitting every single thing that they have along the shore, along the waterfront.”
The latest escalation comes after the collapse of a fragile truce between the US and Iran and has raised concerns about a return to full scale war.
The war has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.
Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, hostilities have intensified and Iranian officials say US strikes have killed at least 30 people in Iran.
UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the UN urges both sides to de-escalate.
“The Secretary General, I can tell you, is deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation in the Middle East region. He calls on all parties to take immediate steps for de-escalation and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would exact an intolerable toll on civilians and have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security and the global economy. And I think you heard from Maximo about the impact of what is going on in the Persian Gulf on the global economy.”
The latest round of attacks comes nearly a month after both sides signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
With the US imposing a new naval blockade and Iran vowing to close the Strait of Hormuz until the US ends its aggression, both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei says unless the US respects the deal, Iran has no reason to.
"Since the beginning, we have said commitment in return for commitment. Meaning we fulfill our commitments as long as the other side honors theirs. The other side violated [its commitments], and we, too, refrained from fulfilling ours wherever necessary. As we continue, it is the same path. It doesn't matter if we say it exists or doesn't exist. An agreement is not a strange thing; it's just a collection of reciprocal commitments.”
Iran has reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the island of Qeshm, and on Bandar Imam Khomenei.
It also says fresh US strikes have hit the southern port city of Bushehr, home to Iran's only civilian nuclear plant.
Mr Trump says without serious negotiations, the US will escalate strikes on infrastructure in the coming days.
“But we're going to hit them very hard tonight. We're going hit them hard tomorrow night. We're gonna hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges. We're going to knock out all their power plants. We're gonna knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”
Iranian officials say they targeted the US Fifth fleet in Bahrain and Jordan's armed forces say they have downed three missiles from Iran.
Several explosions have also been reported near the US consulate in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region.
Esmail Baghaei says with the deal abandoned, Iran will respond to US attacks.
"I used the term "turned it into pieces", and Mr. Gharibabadi used the term "destroyed"; the reason is that the other side has begun breaking promises from the beginning of the first paragraph. And our hands are not tied; our armed forces respond to the aggression of the US.”
Despite the resumption of attacks, mediated talks between the pair have not formally ended.
While Iran says strikes will continue and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US ends their aggression, Donald Trump says Tehran is desperate for a deal.
“'We're doing, really well with Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not happy right now. Should have been done 47 years ago. Should have been done at least during the 47 year period. And it wasn't. Other presidents didn't do what was right. They should have done it a long time ago, would have been much easier. And we, they want to settle so badly. They don't like what we're doing, and they do want to settle. We'll find out whether or not we settle with them or we just finish it off.”
