Washington-Tehran: Mediation at a Dead End

All attention remains focused on this new phase towards which the region seems resolutely to be heading, given Tehran's clear refusal to initiate a dialogue with Washington, based solely on the conditions set by the Trump administration for a halt to the military offensive launched on February 28.

It must be said that nothing official has been announced on this subject so far by the Islamic Republic, whose leaders have already indicated that Washington's 15-point proposal is unworkable and excessive, and that they themselves have conditions for a dialogue. Among these conditions are, notably, an end to targeted attacks and assassinations in Iran, as well as solemn guarantees that the offensive will not resume. Tehran would also demand respect for “Iranian sovereignty” over the Strait of Hormuz, which it presents as a “right”.

Barring a last-minute turnaround by Sunday, the deadline set by President Donald Trump for Tehran to respond to his proposal - before American and Israeli air forces begin targeting Iranian infrastructure, particularly energy-related - the situation appears to be a total stalemate, leaving the field open to all speculation about the course of events.

This stalemate is again reinforced by the words of the American president who, on his social network, Truth Social, on Friday, downplayed the importance of Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while implying that a reopening by force remains possible. “With a little more time, we can easily open the Strait of Hormuz, take the oil, and make a fortune. It would be a real ‘manna‘ for the world”, he wrote.

Facing Iran's refusal to back down, the Gulf countries had seized the United Nations Security Council, calling on it to give its green light to the reopening of the Strait.

This body was supposed to meet on Friday to work on the request of the Gulf monarchies and, to that end, vote on a Bahraini draft resolution authorizing the use of force, but under certain conditions. However, the meeting was postponed due to the absence of a consensus on the matter.

Tehran had warned against this vote, cautioning that it would only complicate an already very complicated situation.

The Islamic Republic thus remains totally indifferent to the threats hanging over it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that “Tel Aviv will continue its attacks against the Iranian regime, in coordination with Washington”, specifying that his army had destroyed “70% of Iran's steel production capacity,” with its two largest steel mills halted. “This is a considerable achievement that deprives the Revolutionary Guards of both financial resources and the ability to produce many weapons”, he declared.

On this day, April 3, the exchange of threats via media sources intensified, while the field remains marked by violent Israeli-American strikes on various targets particularly related to the development of Tehran's ballistic and nuclear arsenal, as well as by the continued Iranian firing against Israel and the Gulf countries. The Islamic Republic continues to target civilian infrastructure there. A power plant and a water desalination plant in Kuwait thus suffered significant damage after being directly hit by Iranian missiles, while in Abu Dhabi, missile debris that was intercepted temporarily put out of service the Habshan gas facilities, particularly due to a fire they caused.

A F-15 Shot Down in Iran

A significant event of the day, on the ground, remains the crash of an American F-15 fighter jet, shot down by the air defense system.

This is the first time since the beginning of the war that Tehran has managed to shoot down an American warplane. According to the Iranian news agency Fars, quoted by AFP, the Iranian army has launched searches to find the pilot who reportedly managed to eject from the aircraft. Iranian television, for its part, announced a reward for whoever finds him alive, while according to the al-Hadath media, the American air force was conducting a sustained sweeping and search operation.

Meanwhile, Israel also continues to blow hot and cold regarding Lebanon.

According to the Jerusalem Post, citing an Israeli military source, the Tel Aviv army reportedly recognized that its goal of disarming Hezbollah is unrealistic, “as it would require launching a full-scale invasion of the country, which it will not do”.

According to this media, the main challenge to disarming Hezbollah lies “in the stocks of self-propelled rockets scattered north of the Litani River”.

“Israeli divisions deployed in Lebanon are expected to complete the takeover of territories located eight to ten kilometers from the border with Israel during the next week. This advance aims to reduce Hezbollah's ability to fire anti-tank missiles into Israel and to increase the warning time for missile launches from Lebanon”, the Israeli newspaper states, adding that the Israeli war cabinet is expected to decide next week on the continuation of its operation in Lebanon, with the disarmament of Hezbollah being “a major military priority”, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed on Friday, at a time when Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that he plans “to further extend the security zone in southern Lebanon”.

Israel Katz again recalled that his country dissociates the Lebanese and Iranian issues and that for now the important thing is to ensure the security of northern Israel.

In this perspective, the Israeli army continued to establish a buffer zone by blowing up homes in border villages. Yesterday, it blew up several dwellings in Aïta el-Chaab. The explosions were heard as far as Tyre.

It also blew up two bridges between Sohmor and Machghara, in the Beqaa, as part of its strategy to disrupt the transfer of weapons and ammunition to the south of the Litani, whose residents were again ordered on Friday to move north. The same evacuation warning was addressed by the Israeli army to residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Also on Friday, the Israeli army announced it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon and “eliminated” approximately 1,000 Hezbollah fighters in one month, alongside its ground offensive in the south of the country.