The war in the Middle East and its impact on the global economy, amid recent statements from the US, Europe and Iran, are in the focus of the world press, BTA reported.
Israel has launched new strikes in Lebanon in response to a new joint attack by Iran and "Hezbollah", the French newspaper "Le Monde" wrote, noting that French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the Israeli government "to abandon a ground offensive in Lebanon".
Eight people were killed in the strikes, according to Lebanese health authorities. The Israeli military said it had struck targets linked to Hezbollah's infrastructure. According to Lebanese authorities, the strikes were carried out on Ramlet al-Bayda beach, where displaced people have been sleeping since the start of the war with Iran.
"Hezbollah" announced a missile strike on an Israeli military intelligence headquarters in Tel Aviv, Le Monde reported. Iran added that it had carried out a "joint and integrated" operation with its Lebanese allies, striking "over 50 targets" on Israeli territory.
Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel "to explicitly abandon a ground offensive in Lebanon," and "Hezbollah" - "to immediately stop its attacks", recalls the French publication. He made this statement after a conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun.
US President Donald Trump said at a rally in Kentucky that the war in Iran has been "won", writes the British newspaper "The Guardian". "But we don't want to leave too soon, do we?", he added, addressing the gathered supporters. Trump assured his supporters that Iran's military and nuclear capabilities have been significantly reduced, "The Guardian" notes.
"Their drones have decreased by 85%, we are blowing up their factories", he said, quoted by the British newspaper. "They don't know what the hell hit them", Trump stressed. But at the same time, he seemed to hint that the conflict may not end soon, the British publication notes.
"We don't want to come back every two years. We'll finish the job", Trump assured.
At the same time, Iran has stepped up its threats, stating "Expect $200 a barrel", notes the Portuguese newspaper "Publico".
The Strait of Hormuz remained a central point in the war between the US and Israel and Iran yesterday, with the US accusing the Islamic Republic of mining it. Tehran is also threatening to attack banking institutions in the region linked to the US and Israel, emphasizes "Publico".
The war is already being waged in the Strait of Hormuz, which is the mullahs' last card against Trump, writes the French newspaper "Parisien".
"The policy of the scorched sea" (analogy to "scorched earth", a military term for a retreat in which everything needed by the advancing army is destroyed - ed. note) threatens to "destroy the world economy" and plunges the world into uncertainty, the newspaper notes.
The International Energy Agency announced yesterday that it will release oil reserves amounting to 400 million barrels in an attempt to control the surge in energy prices caused by the US and Israel's war against Iran, the American newspaper "Washington Post" notes at the same time.
The plan, which aims to stabilize oil prices, which have risen sharply after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, was announced at a time when Iranian leaders announced that they were expanding their attacks on the countries in the Persian Gulf, in order to increase the economic cost of the US and Israel's military campaign to overthrow the government in Tehran, the American publication notes.
About a third of the world's reserve stocks will be depleted after the 32 members of the IEA release their reserves, notes "Washington Post". "This is about direct damage to the U.S. economy and the global economy," Yasmin Farouk, director of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula project at the International Crisis Group, told the newspaper.
While Gulf states remain "focused on defense and protecting their airspace," Farouk said, the attacks could reach a point where some Gulf states might decide to take military action against Iran. But if they do, she added, it would be between themselves and the Europeans, rather than Israel or the United States.
Yoel Guzansky, senior fellow and head of the Gulf Studies Department at the Institute for National Security Studies, a think tank at Tel Aviv University, described Iran's strategy to the "Washington Post" as a "war of attrition." Tehran is pressuring the Gulf states, Europe, Asia and the United States, and it is "working", he said.
The Gulf states have tried "as much as possible" to avoid war through mediation - but have found that this approach "has limits" and they have been reached, the analyst believes.
Currently, the US is focusing not on escorting ships, but on destroying the Iranian fleet and its stockpiles of missiles and drones - which allow it to control the water strip, a source from the "Washington Post" notes.
On the other hand, the French newspaper "Figaro" writes that Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei inherited from his late father not only mansions and apartments in London, luxury hotels on the island of Mallorca, Spain, and in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, but also well-filled bank accounts.
Everything else is "a trifle" compared to "Setad" - an organization originally designed to redistribute to the most needy the property confiscated since 1979, the French newspaper reported. Over the years, it has become an economic giant serving the most powerful man in Tehran. It is an opaque conglomerate built largely on confiscations, writes "Figaro".
In addition to a solid real estate portfolio, "Setad" owns stakes in almost all sectors of the economy, from finance to oil, telecommunications, healthcare, consumer goods, construction and industry. In 2013, American media estimated its fortune at $95 billion, notes "Figaro".