US/Israel-Iran War (Day 16): Trump asks countries to send warships to Hormuz

The war between the United States and Israel against Iran entered its sixteenth day today (Sunday).

Strikes are intensifying, casualties rising, with the majority of them in Iran. More than 1,400 people have been confirmed dead in the war.

PREMIUM TIMES brings you the major incidents that happened on the 15th day of the war.

US, Iran reject negotiations

President Donald Trump, on Saturday, said Iranians have reached out for a deal, but that the terms “aren’t good enough yet.”

During an interview with NBC, he said, any terms for a ceasefire would have to be “very solid.”

Reuters reported that the Trump-led administration turned down attempts by its Middle Eastern allies to initiate diplomatic negotiations to end the ongoing strikes in the region.

Iran, on the other hand, has also ruled out a ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes come to an end and there are guarantees that there will be no future attack.

Oman and other countries have tried multiple times to open a line of communication, but the White House has insisted that it is not interested, according to a report.

Oman was mediating talks before the war.

The unwillingness to start ceasefire talks hints that both sides might be preparing for a protracted conflict

Trump asks countries to send warships to Hormuz

Mr Trump has also said that many countries will send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

This statement comes after he claimed that the US had obliterated all key military targets and infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz.

He noted that he chose not to hit oil infrastructure “for reasons of decency,” and threatened to do just that should Iran “do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ship.”

Despite claiming to have destroyed Iran’s military, Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel and US bases and continues to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.

And despite the presence of dozens of US warships and fighter planes in the region, the US president is now calling on other countries to send warships to reopen the Strait.

“Many Countries, especially those that are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote in a statement on Truth Social, without providing any information about the countries.

He also said he hoped China, France, Japan and South Korea would also send ships to the passage, where several tankers have been attacked since the start of the war.

But countries are unwilling

However, no country has openly confirmed it would do so.

China, instead, has called for the war to stop, and that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply”.

Japan told local media it won’t dispatch ships just because the US asked, noting that “Japan decides its own response, and independent judgment is fundamental.”

The Prime Minister, Takayuki Kobayashi, said, “Legally speaking, we do not rule out the possibility, but given the current situation in which this conflict is ongoing, I believe this is something that must be considered with great caution.”

The UK Ministry of Defence said it was discussing “a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region” with allies.

France has said it is not sending ships, “No, the French aircraft carrier and its group are staying [in] the eastern Mediterranean,” the foreign ministry said.

Indian tankers pass Hormuz

India announced that two of its tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Their passage followed talks between Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

As part of the deal, India allowed the safe return of Iranian naval personnel who had sought safety in India after the US attacked another Iranian ship that was leaving a naval exercise in India.

Announcing the passage through the Strait, the Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said, “They crossed the Strait of Hormuz early morning safely and are en route to India.”

READ ALSO:US/Israel-Iran War: Nigerians injured in Iranian attacks on UAE

IRGC threatens to kill Netanyahu

Amidst unconfirmed rumours that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been killed, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would target and kill him if he were alive.

It said on Saturday that, “If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force.”

Nigerians injured in UAE

On Saturday, the UAE disclosed that Nigerians are among the 141 people injured in Iranian strikes on the country in the past two weeks.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Ministry of Defence said several foreign nationals, including Nigerians, sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attacks.

At least six other people have been killed in the strikes on the UAE.

Although the ministry did not provide information on the number of Nigerians injured, it noted that they were among the 141 foreigners who suffered minor to moderate injuries.

It also said that Iranian strikes killed six nationals of the UAE, Pakistan, and Nepal.