Israel kills senior Iranian naval officials, Trump continues threats to Tehran to negotiate

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday to “get serious” about a deal to end nearly four weeks of fighting, after its foreign minister said Tehran was reviewing the U.S. proposal but that there ‌were no talks on winding down the war.

Trump’s comments came as the economic and humanitarian toll of the conflict mounted, with fuel shortages spreading worldwide, sending companies and countries scrambling to contain the fallout.

On Thursday, Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and other areas and injuring at least five people.

In Iran, strikes hit a residential zone in the southern city of Bandar Abbas and a village on the outskirts of the southern city of Shiraz, where two teenage brothers were killed, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said. A university building in Isfahan was reported to have been hit.

Israeli officials said Israel had killed the naval commander of Iran’s ​Revolutionary Guards. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Commodore Alireza Tangsiri was responsible for bombing operations that have blocked ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel’s military also said it has killed the Iranian navy intelligence chief, characterizing Behnam Rezaei as a “central knowledge authority in maritime intelligence.”

The military, separately, said a service member was killed in clashes with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.

Exchanges of missiles and drones across the Gulf continued on Thursday.

In Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, two people were killed and ⁠three others injured by debris from an intercepted ballistic missile, ‌the government said.

Is it a negotiation?

“Indirect talks” between the U.S. and Iran are taking place through messages relayed by Pakistan, with other states including Turkey and Egypt also supporting mediation efforts, Pakistan’s foreign minister said.

But Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry did not confirm whether direct talks would take place in Islamabad later this week. At a weekly news briefing, ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said details on the timing, venue and itinerary would be shared in due course. Asked whether Iranian or U.S. delegations were expected to hold talks in Islamabad later this week, he said, “We will let you know when these developments take place.”

He added that Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts are aimed at ending the conflict and emphasized that the initiative is not directed against any country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that has been described in media reports has not risen to the level of a negotiation.

“Messages being conveyed through our friendly countries and us responding by stating ​our positions or issuing the necessary warnings is not called negotiation or dialogue,” Araqchi said in comments broadcast ​late on Wednesday.

“At present, our policy is to continue resistance and defend the country, and we have no intention of negotiating.”

Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday that Iran had been “militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback,” and was “begging” for a deal.

Calling Iranian negotiators “very different ​and ‘strange,'” he added: “They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty.”

Though Araqchi’s comments suggested some willingness by Tehran to ⁠negotiate an end to the war if Iranian demands were met, any such talks would likely ‌prove very difficult given the maximalist positions laid out by both sides.

A 15-point U.S. proposal to end the conflict includes demands ranging from dismantling Iran’s nuclear program and curbing its missiles to effectively handing over control of the Strait of Hormuz, according to sources and reports.

But Iran has hardened its stance since the war began, demanding guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses, and formal control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian sources say. It also told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire deal, ⁠regional sources said.

The waterway is a conduit for one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, effectively closed, businesses from airlines to supermarkets ​and used-car dealers are grappling with challenges including rising ⁠costs, weakening demand and disrupted supply chains.

Iran has been blocking ships from the strait that it perceives as linked to the U.S. and Israeli war effort, whileletting through a trickle of others.

Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Co-operation Council, a bloc of six Gulf Arab nations, said Thursday Iran was charging for safe passage.

Trump has not identified who the U.S. is negotiating with. Iran’s Supreme Commander Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the conflict by an Israeli strike and was replaced by his son Mojtaba, who has been wounded in strikes and not been seen in any photograph or video clip since his appointment. Several other high-ranking Iranian officials have also been kiled.

---