Iran warns US ground troops would be at risk as diplomats gather for peace talks
| Islamabad, Pakistan
A top Iranian official has warned the U.S. against a ground invasion, saying its troops would be set 鈥渙n fire,鈥� as regional diplomats met Sunday in Pakistan in hopes of opening direct U.S.-Iran talks and ending the monthlong war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will widen its invasion of Lebanon, expanding the 鈥渆xisting security strip鈥� in that country鈥檚 south while targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. There were no details.
Iran鈥檚 parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed the talks in Pakistan as a cover after some 2,500 U.S. Marines trained in amphibious landings arrived in the Middle East. He said Iranian forces were 鈥渨aiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,鈥� according to state media.
The war has threatened global supplies of oil, natural gas, and fertilizer, and disrupted air travel. Iran鈥檚 grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices, and now the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels鈥� entry into the war could threaten shipping on another crucial waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Red Sea.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know at what moment our homes could be targeted,鈥� said Razzak Saghir al-Mousawi, describing relentless airstrikes as Iranians crossing into Iraq urged the United States to end the war. 鈥淚 am definitely afraid.鈥�
More than 3,000 people have been killed in the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered Iranian attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states. The war continues on the digital front as well.
Pakistan hosts Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt diplomats
Pakistan said the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt met in Islamabad without U.S. or Israeli participation, days after the U.S. offered Iran a 15-point 鈥渁ction list鈥� as a framework for a possible peace deal. The ministers are expected to meet again on Monday.
Egypt鈥檚 Badr Abdelatty said the meetings are aimed at opening a 鈥渄irect dialogue鈥� between the U.S. and Iran, which have largely communicated through mediators. Both this war and last year鈥檚 12-day war began during rounds of indirect talks.
Iranian officials have rejected the U.S. framework and publicly dismissed the idea of negotiating under pressure. But Press TV, the English-language arm of Iran鈥檚 state broadcaster, reported last week that Tehran had drafted its own five-point proposal that reportedly called for a halt to killing Iranian officials, guarantees against future attacks, reparations, and Iran鈥檚 鈥渆xercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.鈥�
Iran has eased some restrictions on commercial ships in the strait, agreeing late Saturday to allow 20 more Pakistani-flagged vessels to pass through. It 鈥渟ends a clear signal that Iran remains open for business with the world, provided the United States abandons coercion,鈥� said Asif Durrani, Pakistan鈥檚 former ambassador to Iran.
An adviser to the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, called for any settlement to the war to include 鈥渃lear guarantees鈥� that Iranian attacks on neighbors will not be repeated.
Mr. Gargash said Iran鈥檚 government has become 鈥渢he main threat鈥� to Persian Gulf security and called for compensation for attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Iran threatens strikes on Israeli and US universities
Iran on Sunday warned of escalation after Israeli airstrikes hit several universities, including ones that Israel claimed were used for nuclear research and development. Concerns over Iran鈥檚 nuclear program are at the heart of tensions.
The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned that Iran would consider Israeli universities and branches of U.S. universities in the region 鈥渓egitimate targets鈥� unless offered safety assurances for Iranian universities, state media reported.
U.S. colleges have campuses in Qatar and the UAE, including Georgetown University, New York University, and Northwestern University.
鈥淚f the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment鈥� of Iranian universities by midday Monday, the Guard said in a statement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Saturday that dozens of universities and research centers have been hit, among them the Iran University of Science and Technology and Isfahan University of Technology.
Both sides in the war have threatened to attack civilian facilities, which critics have warned could be a war crime.
Death toll continues to climb
In Lebanon, officials said more than 1,200 people have been killed. There were fears of more deaths after Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking on a visit to northern Israel, said Israel was 鈥渄etermined to fundamentally change the situation in the north.鈥� He said Hezbollah 鈥渟till has residual capability to fire rockets at us.鈥�
Iranian authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed in the Islamic Republic, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel.
In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.
In the Gulf states, 20 people have been killed. Four have been killed in the occupied West Bank.
This story is by Associated Press reporters Sam Metz in Ramallah and Samy Magdy in Cairo, with writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Samya Kullab in Basra, Iraq.
