Sawt Falasteen - Iran warns of 'endless quagmire' as Trump orders new strikes

Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the Americans, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, issued his stark warning after the two sides exchanged overnight fire and Trump threatened that US forces would hit "VERY HARD TONIGHT".

"Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years," Ghalibaf said.

The war, which began on February 28 with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was paused under an April truce, but efforts to hammer out a permanent end to the fighting have since stalled.

US forces have also since the ceasefire hit radar arrays and disabled Iranian ships and Tehran has maintained a chokehold on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela," Trump said, in a post on his own social media platform, referring to a Gulf island that hosts Iran's biggest oil export terminal.

General Ali Abdollahi, head of the Iranian military's central headquarters, warned that "if the United States once again seeks to carry out attacks against heroic Iran, it will receive a harsher response than before, and the flames of war, in addition to creating insecurity in the region, will become more widespread and far-reaching".

The conflict has destabilised oil and gas prices, fuelling inflation and fears of recession in many economies. On Thursday, the World Bank lowered its global growth forecast to its lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic, predicting it would drop to 2.5 percent in 2026, from 2.9 percent last year.

- 'Negotiate with bombs' -

Earlier, in a second straight day of tit-for-tat attacks, Washington had hit surveillance, communications and air defence facilities, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced a "punitive operation" targeting a US base in Jordan and Gulf states reported incoming fire.

Mediators Pakistan and Qatar suggested back-channel efforts to negotiate an end to the war were ongoing in spite of the flare-up, though Islamabad cautioned it was "hard to be an optimist" in light of the escalation.

Trump, who has repeatedly insisted negotiations with Tehran were close to a deal, had said on Wednesday that Iran keeps "playing us for suckers" and will now "have to pay the price".

Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which also came under Iranian attack during the war, called for de-escalation, with Riyadh "urging all parties to prioritise wisdom" by resuming peace talks.

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, likewise called for more negotiations on Thursday, with a foreign ministry spokesperson urging the warring parties "to immediately cease military operations... (and) respond to the mediation efforts".

Majid, a 35-year-old pharmacist in Tehran, said he was "deeply worried" by the attacks and their knock-on effects on daily life for Iranians already facing economic hardship.

"I am absolutely not optimistic about the agreement being finalised, because the gap between the two countries is too wide," he said, blaming the lack of progress on Israel -- which also traded fire with Iran in recent days -- as well as hardliners at home.

- Hormuz threats -

Iran has renewed its warnings over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas transport which it has essentially closed since early in the war, roiling global energy markets.

Iran's new body overseeing the strait on Thursday confirmed it "will be closed until further notice".

On Wednesday, three Indian sailors on a commercial vessel were killed when the United States attacked the ship off the coast of Oman, New Delhi said Thursday, summoning a US diplomat to lodge a protest.

burs/dc/amj

Y.Zaher--SF-PST