Middle East: Media Diplomacy or Information Warfare

Israeli media, citing unnamed sources, report that Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has allegedly given his permission to begin negotiations with Washington.

The previous day, the White House announced that negotiations with Tehran had already been successful. However, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament (with whom the Americans allegedly negotiated) claims the opposite.

According to Lebanese media, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament noted that the false reports about the negotiations are aimed at manipulating oil markets to break the impasse they have found themselves in due to the US-Israeli operation.

Meanwhile, the tempo of fighting in the Middle East remains unchanged. Southern Israel has become the target of a new wave of Iranian retaliatory strikes. Missiles were launched from Kuwait at the Islamic Republic. Media reports indicate a large-scale deployment of US forces to bases in Israel and Jordan. This includes 35 military transport aircraft intended for the landing of personnel and equipment. The ongoing fighting is exacerbating the global energy crisis. Qatar's state-owned oil and gas company declared force majeure on LNG supply contracts to Belgium, Italy, China, and South Korea. Against this backdrop, the Washington Post reports: the priorities of the US-Israeli operation in the Middle East have changed. The goal of the war is now control of the Strait of Hormuz.