Iran War Updates Trump Makes Major Threat Over Strait Of Hormuz

Kenji Sato

-Apr 6, 2026, 12:06 PM

iran war updates trump makes major threat over strait of hormuz

Iran war's "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," Trump says Follow updates on the war in the Middle East for Thursday, April 2, here. See earlier developments below. What to know about the Iran war: - President Trump gave an update on the Iran war Wednesday night, saying the operation's "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," citing the degradation of the country's missiles, drones and navy. The U.S. will complete its military mission in Iran "very shortly," Mr.

Trump said, adding that they will hit Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks. - Crude oil futures spiked more than 5% after the president's speech while stock futures slid, reversing a drop in oil prices and a stock market rally from earlier in the day amid hopes that the war might conclude soon. - Mr. Trump said earlier Wednesday that Iran wants a ceasefire, but he's made it clear he could end U.S.

operations without reopening the Strait of Hormuz, leaving other countries to deal with Tehran's chokehold on the critical shipping lane. In his prime-time address, the president said countries that heavily rely on the strait "must take care of that passage" and "grab it and cherish it." - Mr. Trump has told Britain's Telegraph newspaper he could attempt to pull the U.S.

out of the transatlantic NATO alliance it's led for more than seven decades, as he vents frustration at America's closest allies for declining to join the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Stock futures slide after Trump's speech U.S. stock futures ticked down after Mr. Trump's nationwide address on Iran, as markets look for indications that the war could be nearing a close. Dow futures fell just under 1% in the two hours after the president's speech began at 9 p.m. ET, and S&P 500 futures dropped roughly 1.1%.

Both indices posted gains during trading hours on Wednesday, after enjoying their best day since last May on Tuesday. Asian markets also fell at the start of their trading day: Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.9% as of 10:30 p.m. ET, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 0.9% by 11 p.m. ET. Crude oil futures climb during and after Trump's speech Crude oil futures climbed as the president spoke and after he finished his remarks. Markets have been looking out for signs that the Iran war will end soon.

But during his speech, the president didn't offer a more definitive timeline for the war's conclusion, instead warning the U.S. will hit Iran "extremely hard" over the next few weeks. He also encouraged countries dependent on oil from the Middle East to "take" the Strait of Hormuz without a plan for the U.S. to reopen it, and said those countries should simply buy U.S. oil for now. Futures for the U.S.

crude oil benchmark — West Texas Intermediate — jumped from about $98 per barrel ahead of the president's speech, to nearly $104 by 10 p.m. ET. after his speech concluded. Futures had dropped earlier in the day amid hopes that the war might be about to conclude. The international oil benchmark, Brent Crude, spiked from just under $100 per barrel to nearly $106 over the same timeframe.

Trump vows to hit Iran's power plants and oil business if it doesn't reach a deal If Iran does not strike a deal with the U.S., Mr. Trump said the military will "hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously." He said he could also target Iran's oil industry, a financial lifeline for the country. U.S.

will hit Iran "extremely hard" in coming weeks, Trump says The president said he plans to hit Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks, a timeframe that he has offered for the war's completion. "We're going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong," he said.

Countries that rely on Strait of Hormuz for oil must "grab it and cherish it," Trump says President Trump said other countries that rely on oil from the Middle East should bear responsibility for getting oil tankers to flow through the Strait of Hormuz again. He said those countries should "grab it and cherish it," referring to the 21-mile-wide strait that one-fifth of the world's oil typically flows through, though he suggested the U.S. is willing to be helpful in that mission.

Iran war's "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," Trump says President Trump said the Iran operation's "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," citing the degradation of the country's missiles, drones and navy. He also alleged that Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear weapon. The U.S. intelligence community said last year that Iran did not have an active nuclear weapons program.

"They were also rapidly building a vast stockpile of conventional ballistic missiles and would soon have had missiles that could reach the American homeland, Europe and virtually any other place on earth," he said. Trump blames Iran for rising gas prices The president blamed rising U.S. gas prices on the Iranian regime. "Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home," he said.

"This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict. This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons." Trump says U.S. has delivered "swift, decisive, overwhelming victories" Shortly after his speech began, President Trump said the U.S.

military has delivered "swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield." "Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks," he said. Trump begins Iran war address President Trump is addressing the nation on the war in Iran from the White House. He's expected to run through the United States' accomplishments over the last month of war and reiterate his two-to-three-week timetable to wrap up the conflict.

NATO chief to visit White House next week as Trump criticizes alliance NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is planning to visit President Trump at the White House next week, a White House official confirmed to CBS News. The meeting is taking place as Mr. Trump criticizes NATO member states for not getting involved in the war with Iran and suggests he's open to leaving the 77-year-old alliance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week the Trump administration will need to "reexamine" the U.S.'s relationship with NATO. Mr.

Trump's questions about NATO date back to before the Iran war. He has long argued that member states are overly reliant on the U.S. and are not spending enough money on their own defense. The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the meeting with Rutte. Stocks climb and oil prices fall as Trump signals Iran war could end soon Stocks rose and oil prices ticked down on Wednesday, as President Trump telegraphs that he's looking to wrap up the war with Iran in a matter of weeks.

The S&P 500 rose 0.72% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.48%, after both indices enjoyed their best day in more than 10 months on Tuesday. The international oil benchmark, Brent Crude, is down 3.5% on the day and is hovering just over $100 per barrel after dipping below the three-digit mark earlier Wednesday. Oil prices remain up about 38% from pre-war levels, and the S&P 500 is down 4.9% since the day before the war.

Trump says Iran war is "pretty much winding" up President Trump suggested the war with Iran could wrap up soon during an Easter brunch event at the White House on Wednesday. "We're over in Iran. We're sort of pretty much winding that up," the president said, according to a White House video of the event, which was closed to reporters. They "have to take a few more hits" and "want to make sure we don't ever … allow them to have a nuclear weapon," he added.

Later on, when criticizing NATO allies for their lack of involvement in the war, Mr. Trump said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hesitated at sending an aircraft carrier to assist with the war effort and wanted to have an internal meeting first. But Mr. Trump said he responded that "the war is going to be over in three days." The president didn't say when that conversation took place, and the U.K. hasn't publicly addressed the conversation yet. Mr. Trump has offered varying timelines for when the war could end.

He told reporters Tuesday he expects it to wrap up in "two weeks, maybe three." How high could oil and gas prices go if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed? President Trump's comments to reporters on Tuesday that he expects the U.S. to end its war with Iran in two or three weeks is buoying investors by easing global oil prices and boosting stocks.

Yet such optimism is certain to fade quickly unless Iran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz soon, according to economists, who warn that crude prices could continue to soar even if the Trump administration moves to wind down military operations in the region. "The scary scenarios are, unfortunately, extremely plausible. It's not at all hard to tell a $150 [per barrel] story, and it's not crazy to go to $200," Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman told CBS News. Trump says he might withdraw U.S.

from NATO, even though the law says he can't without Congress' approval President Trump says he's considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO, after years of complaining the alliance's member countries aren't paying enough for their own defense. And since he began the war with Iran, the president has been lashing out about the lack of support from NATO allies.

A law passed by Congress in 2023 — and spearheaded in part by Marco Rubio, now the secretary of state — bars the president from doing so without approval from the legislative branch. The existence of that law may not stop Mr. Trump from trying to pull the U.S. out of the 77-year-old alliance. Some experts argue the president could cite executive authority to sidestep the law, in a move that would almost certainly prompt legal challenges.

Iranian president issues letter to American public Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian released a letter addressed to the American people. The letter claims that Iran is not a threat and that it harbors no ill will toward U.S. citizens, even as it appears to threaten "consequences." "When war inflicts irreparable harm on lives, homes, cities and futures, people will not remain indifferent toward those responsible," Pezeshkian wrote.

Pezeshkian referred to the targeting of Iranian industrial and energy facilities as direct attacks on the Iranian people, and said such actions will "carry consequences that extend far beyond Iran's borders." Over 150 Iranian vessels destroyed, CENTCOM says Over 12,3000 targets have been hit and more than 155 Iranian vessels have been damaged or destroyed by U.S. forces, United States Central Command said in a fact sheet issued Wednesday. CENTCOM said there have been 13,000 combat flights flown by U.S. forces.

Iran announces new wave of strikes on U.S., Israeli targets Iran's military announced a new wave of missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. and Israeli sites in the Gulf, though there was no immediate word from either country of any direct hits. In a statement, the military's central command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, said the targets included Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast and Eilat on the Red Sea, as well as U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The Iranian announcement came hours before President Trump is set to address the nation on the state of the war. Iran war adds new pressure to struggling U.S. labor market The Iran war is adding fresh pressure to a slowing U.S. labor market, with consumer goods giant Unilever telling CBS News it plans to freeze hiring for the next three months. Oxford Economics senior U.S.

economist Matthew Martin told CBS News that companies are "in a period of uncertainty" and may be "looking for ways to reduce overall spend" amid rising prices and uncertainty about when the war will end. The war's impact on hiring may not be immediately reflected in the March jobs report, set to be released on Friday, experts said, but it could result in a higher unemployment rate. The United States' GDP could also be affected, leading to lower hiring rates.

State Department warns Iran may target universities in Kuwait Iran and its proxies "may intend to target universities in Kuwait," the U.S. State Department warned Wednesday. Iran has previously threatened American universities across the Middle East. Six U.S. service members were killed early in the war when an Iranian drone struck a tactical operations center in Kuwait. The State Department has recommended Americans in Kuwait shelter in place. Americans looking to leave Kuwait should reach out to the government for aid.

Trump to give update on Operation Epic Fury, criticize NATO in prime-time address President Trump is set to give an operational update on the progress of Operation Epic Fury during his prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday night, a White House official told CBS News. Mr. Trump is expected to reiterate that the operation will conclude in two or three weeks, a timeline he also shared Tuesday. The official said Mr.

Trump will also say the military is meeting or exceeding all operational benchmarks, including destroying ballistic missiles and production facilities, annihilating Iran's navy, keeping the country from destabilizing the region with proxy groups, and preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Mr. Trump is also expected to criticize NATO, echoing comments he made to Reuters earlier Wednesday, a source told CBS News. U.K.

to hold virtual summit to discuss reopening Strait of Hormuz The United Kingdom will hold a virtual summit to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. The meeting will be led by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Starmer said. It will include "key partners" including the signatories of a joint statement addressing the strait's closure last month.

The group will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities," Starmer said. Starmer's office said in a statement that the U.K. will also host a meeting of defense leaders next week to "look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the Strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped." The U.K. and the U.S. are working together on the initiative, the statement said.

Trump says he doesn't "care about" enriched nuclear material in Iran In a phone interview with Reuters, President Trump said he doesn't "care about" the enriched nuclear material in Iran, insisting the U.S. can monitor the situation from a distance. Asked about Iran's enriched uranium it still has, Mr. Trump said, "That's so far underground, I don't care about that." "We'll always be watching it by satellite," he added.

Iran's enriched uranium, hidden in deep underground tunnels, would likely require further enrichment to be able to be used for nuclear purposes. The president and his top administration officials have repeatedly said a goal of the war is preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Securing Iran's enriched uranium would likely require a risky and dangerous operation of U.S. troops. The White House hasn't ruled out putting U.S. boots on the ground, but also hasn't committed to such a plan.

Air France-KLM to increase fuel surcharge on some flights Air France-KLM Group said it is increasing a surcharge on long-haul flights because of a "sharp and sudden increase in fuel prices" caused by the conflict in the Middle East. Economy fares on long-haul flights with tickets issued after March 11 will be raised by 50 euros, or about $58, roundtrip, the group said. There will be a grace period for tickets booked before March 11 and issued by March 25.

Fares on some flights had already been increased by 30 euros, or about $35. Air France-KLM Group is based out of Europe and operates "one of the most extensive flight networks between Europe and the rest of the world," according to its website, with hubs in Paris and Amsterdam. The group also operates cargo flights and the budget airline Transavia. In 2025, 103 million passengers flew on the airline, according to its website.

Al Jazeera says Iran's foreign ministry has denied Trump's claim of a request for a ceasefire Iran's foreign ministry has denied President Trump's claim that Tehran asked the U.S. for a ceasefire, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday. "There is no truth to Trump's statements that we requested a ceasefire," Al Jazeera, which is owned by the government of Qatar but broadcasts globally, quoted ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei as saying. U.S. officials say 2 more American MQ-9 Reaper drones lost over Iran, bringing total to 16 during the war The U.S.

military has lost two more MQ-9 Reaper drones near Isfahan, in central Iran, bringing the total to 16 Reapers lost since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. The MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely piloted aircraft used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, but it can also be used to carry out precision strikes.

MQ-9s are easier to knock out of the sky because they were designed for counterterrorism environments where there's little to no air defense, not for countries with modern missile systems. The top speed of a Reaper is about 300 mph, which is slow compared to a fighter jet that can reach speeds of between 1,200 to 1,900 mph. Depending on the variant of Reaper drone, a single aircraft can cost upwards of $30 million.

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have said repeatedly that Iran's air defenses and missile launch capabilities have been virtually wiped out during a month of relentless U.S.-Israeli strikes. Iranian state media issued a claim on Monday by the country's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to have "intercepted and destroyed" an American MQ-9 over Isfahan.

Russia says any future system to regulate shipping traffic in Strait of Hormuz must involve Iran Any initiative pertaining to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz must involve the consent of the nations that border it, including Iran, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. Zakharova was asked at a daily briefing whether some Middle Eastern countries could form a consortium to regulate passage through the strait.

She said a third-party regulator would "hardly contribute to easing tensions in the region." "It's hardly worth seriously discussing the feasibility of such initiatives without taking Iran's position and its direct involvement into account," Zakharova said. "The extreme vulnerability of the merchant fleet precludes any hope that this situation will change radically in the foreseeable future.

This is impossible without — and I emphasize again, this is also very important — a long-term normalization of the situation around Iran, which, acting constructively, agrees to allow passage of vessels from countries not involved in the conflict." Trump says U.S. will leave Iran "pretty quickly," but will return if needed The U.S. will end its operation in Iran "pretty quickly," but may return for "spot hits" if needed, President Trump told Reuters in a phone interview Wednesday morning. "I can't tell you exactly," Mr.

Trump said when asked when the war would be over, adding, "we're going to be out pretty quickly." The president is set to deliver an address to the nation about the Iran war at 9 p.m. Eastern. Mr. Trump told Reuters he would, in his address later, express his disgust with NATO for what he views as the alliance's failure to come to the aid of the U.S. in Iran. Allies react to Trump's remarks about moving to pull the U.S.

out of NATO Some of the United States' closest and longest-standing allies reacted to President Trump's most recent threat to try and pull the U.S. out of NATO on Wednesday by issuing reminders of the transatlantic alliance's purpose, and the power it helps the U.S. project across Europe. "Let me recall what NATO is," French junior army minister Alice Rufo said, according to the Reuters news agency. "It is a military alliance concerned with the security of territories in the Euro-Atlantic area.

It is not intended to carry out an operation in the Strait of Hormuz, which is not in accordance with international law." "I hope that amid the emotions surrounding the President of the United States today, a moment of calm will come," Poland's Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said. "Why? Because there is no NATO without the United States, and it is in our interest that this calm comes. But there is also no American power without NATO." A German government spokesperson, responding to Mr.

Trump's remarks about NATO to the Telegraph newspaper, noted that it was not "the first time he's done this, and since it's a recurring phenomenon, you can probably judge the consequences for yourself," according to Reuters. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, asked earlier about Mr. Trump's statement, said the U.K.

remained "fully committed" to what he called "the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen." There was no immediate response from NATO headquarters or its Secretary General Mark Rutte, who has managed to remain on relatively good terms with President Trump despite the U.S. leader's routine bashing of the alliance.

President Trump says Iran "just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!" President Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social network on Wednesday that Iran's president had "just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!" Mr. Trump said Iran's "New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors," had requested the ceasefire. Iran currently has the same president it's had since July 2024, however, when President Masoud Pezeshkian took office.

Pezeshkian, long viewed as a more moderate figure than the Islamic clerics and Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who've long wielded most of the power in the country, did say Tuesday that Iran had the "necessary will" to reach a deal to end the war, but he added that it would require security guarantees for Tehran.

"We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met - especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression," Pezeshkian told the European Council president in a phone call, according to Iranian state media. Mr. Trump did not indicate whether he was referring to Pezeshkian, or if his administration had received any separate communication from other Iranian leaders, saying only that the U.S. would consider the purported Iranian request, "when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear.

Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!" President Trump has given Iran until April 6 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened to "obliterate" its civilian power plants if it does not, as well as possible strikes on Iranian water desalination plants and other infrastructure.

Drones hit motor oil warehouse in Iraq owned by BP subsidiary Castrol Multiple drones attacked a northern Iraq fuel warehouse linked to British oil and natural gas giant BP, a firm operating the facility said. No casualties were reported. The attack on the motor oil warehouse occurred in Irbil, the capital city of Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region, the Sardar Group, a major automotive group in Iraq, said in a statement. It said the facility is owned by Castrol, a subsidiary of BP.

The statement said the first drone hit the facility at 7:20 a.m., before it was attacked again with two more drones while firefighters were combating the fire. The attack started a massive fire that sent a column of black smoke into the air, social media footage shows. CBS/AP Starmer says U.K. "fully committed" to NATO, will host 35-nation Strait of Hormuz security conference Asked about President Trump's comment to the Telegraph newspaper that he's considering a move to pull the U.S.

out of NATO, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. remained "fully committed" to what he called "the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen." Starmer told reporters that "whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I am going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions I make." He said the U.K. would host an international diplomatic conference this week on ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as President Trump indicates he will soon end the U.S.

war with Iran that has prompted Tehran to blockade the vital shipping lane, even if it means leaving Iran in control of the strait. Starmer said 35 countries have signed a statement committing to work together on restoring maritime security in the key oil transport route. He said British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper would lead a conference on the issue, and military planners were also working on potential plans to implement once the war ends.

Starmer said "a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity" is needed to restore stability. CBS/AP United Arab Emirates says 5 Iranian missiles, 35 drones intercepted today The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Defense said the country's air defenses intercepted five ballistic missiles and 35 drones launched by Iran on Wednesday. "Since the start of blatant Iranian attacks, UAE air defenses have intercepted 438 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles, and 2,012 drones," the UAE said in its latest update.

So far those Iranian attacks have killed 12 people in the country, including two members of its armed forces, a Moroccan civilian contractor and nine other foreign nationals. Israel's top diplomat says war has "removed the annihilation threat" posed by Iran In a message posted Wednesday on social media to mark the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar portrayed his country's ongoing joint war with the U.S. against Iran as a necessary fight to remove an "annihilation threat" to Israel.

Saar claimed evidence uncovered in Gaza during Israel's war against Hamas proved "beyond any doubt" that Iran had "a concrete plan" to destroy Israel "through massive volumes of ballistic missiles alongside ground forces of proxies on Israel's borders." He said Israel's government had made "historic decisions," before both the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025 that the U.S.

joined with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and in February 2026 ahead of the current war, that he said "were simply decisions to remove the threat of annihilation that hung over the Jewish people in their land." "Our enemies — and foremost among them, the ayatollahs' regime in Iran — devised a plan of annihilation," Saar said. "Today, we can say: We have removed the annihilation threat. We still have bitter and cruel enemies, but they have been beaten head on." President Trump justified the U.S.

role in the war by arguing that Iran posed an imminent threat "to the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world." Airstrike appears to hit inside former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, now a base for Iran's security forces An airstrike in Iran's capital, Tehran, on Wednesday morning appears to have struck inside of the former U.S. Embassy compound there. The embassy has been controlled by Iran's Revolutionary Guard since the 1979 hostage crisis.

Its all-volunteer Basij force operates the compound, running an anti-American museum inside the embassy and having different operations on its grounds in newer buildings. Witnesses saw blown-out windows surrounding the massive compound on Tehran's Taleghani Street. However, there was no missile strike visible around the compound, with witnesses saying they believe the strike happened inside the compound. The 444-day hostage crisis at the embassy saw American diplomats held until President Ronald Reagan took office from President Jimmy Carter in 1981. Trump says he could try to pull U.S.

out of NATO as allies "weren't there for us" in Iran war President Trump has told Britain's Telegraph newspaper he could attempt to terminate American membership in the NATO defense alliance that the U.S. helped create more than seven decades ago as a bulwark against the communist Soviet Union's expansionist agenda in Europe. Mr. Trump has railed against NATO allies since the U.S.

and Israel launched their war against Iran for refusing to join the effort, despite not consulting with them in advance or involving them in any planning for its economic and security fallout. Asked by The Telegraph's Washington correspondent if he would consider ending U.S. membership in the alliance after the Iran war, Mr. Trump said: "Oh yes, I would say [it's] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way." Mr.

Trump has disparaged the alliance for years, but to actually pull the U.S. from it, or even to suspend U.S. membership, he would, by law, have to gain the "advice and consent of the Senate," with a two-thirds majority vote required to approve the move. For NATO allies trying — with less and less help from Washington — to assist Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion, the latest rhetorical blow from Mr. Trump will be cause for yet more concern.

It will be music to the ears of Russia's Putin, however, who has framed his invasion of neighboring Ukraine as a bid to stop NATO's eastward expansion — and who has worked through various means for years to undermine the alliance and sew division among its members.

Majority of recent ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz linked to Iran A majority of the vessels that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran have ties to the Iranian regime, according to a new analysis from Lloyd's List Intelligence. That raises questions about President Trump's assertion last week that Tehran gave him the "present" of allowing eight oil tankers through the key waterway. Since March 1, a day after the U.S.

and Israel launched their joint attacks on Iran, 71% of all ships that have managed to transit the strait are either owned by Iran, coming or going from Iranian ports, or part of the so-called shadow fleet linked to Iranian oil shipments, the maritime data company said Wednesday. Even among ships that are compliant with sanctions, such as Greek bulk carrier cargo ships that have transited the strait, most have some ties to Iran.

Shadow fleet vessels have accounted for 88% of all transits over the last week, an increase from 83% the week before. Oil drops back below $100 per barrel and stock prices rise as Trump offers new timeframe for war Oil fell below $100 per barrel and Asian shares jumped Wednesday over renewed optimism about a de-escalation of the Iran war following Mr. Trump's suggestion he would likely end U.S. operations within several weeks. Brent crude, the international standard, was down 4.7% to $99.05 per barrel early on Wednesday. Benchmark U.S.

crude dropped 4% to $97.33 a barrel. South Korea's Kospi recovered its losses from earlier this week, surging 8.4% to 5,478.70, while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 5.2% to 53,739.68. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 2.3% to 25,346.42, while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.5% higher at 3,948.55. In early European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 1.8% to 10,356.41. France's CAC 40 was 1.3% higher at 7,920.89, and Germany's DAX climbed 1.6% to 23,052.89. CBS/AP Iran's foreign minister says he doesn't think U.S.

"would dare" to launch ground invasion Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled Tehran's willingness to keep fighting no matter what President Trump threatens. Mr. Trump's April 6 deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic still stands. He has threatened to order strikes on the country's power plants, and possibly its water desalination facilities, if it does not do so. "You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines," Araghchi said.

Asked if he believed the U.S. would launch a ground war in Iran, Araghchi was dismissive. "I do not think they would dare to do such a thing," he said. "Very heavy casualties would await them." CBS/AP Tanker off Qatar hit by 2 projectiles as Iran continues attacks on U.S. Gulf allies Kuwait's civil aviation authority said Wednesday that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at fuel tanks but no casualties.

Iran has fired missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. allies in the Gulf since the start of the war. Elsewhere in the Gulf on Wednesday, Bahrain's interior ministry said a fire broke out at a business facility "as a result of the Iranian aggression." Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said several drones were "intercepted and destroyed." A tanker was hit off Qatar's coast, the British military's maritime security agency said. The U.K.

Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said "the vessel was struck by two projectiles" 17 nautical miles north of Ras Laffan, a major natural gas facility. One caused a fire, which was extinguished, and another "remains unexploded within the vessel's engine room," UKMTO said, adding that all crew members were reported as safe. It also said there was "no environmental impact" and that authorities were investigating the incident.

On Tuesday, state-run Kuwaiti news agency KUNA said an Iranian attack sparked a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at Dubai Port but didn't cause any injuries. The oil-rich Gulf nation has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to the U.S.-Israeli strikes that sparked the war. Tehran has threatened to target vital infrastructure across the Gulf, including energy sites. CBS/AFP Iran-backed Houthis claim to launch missile barrage at Israel The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen said Wednesday they fired a barrage of ballistic missiles toward Israel.

Air raid sirens went off in southern Israel in the early morning, from Beersheba to the Mediterranean coast following the launch. There were no immediate reports of impacts. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a prerecorded statement that they fired at "sensitive targets" in southern Israel. The attack is the third since the Houthis joined the war on Friday when they fired their first missile towards Israel since the U.S. and Israel launched massive airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

Their entry has raised concerns that they could resume attacks on vessels in the Red Sea further disrupting the global shipping industry and sending oil prices much higher. Iran has threatened to extend its attacks in the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, via its proxy powers, if the U.S. tries to seize its Kharg Island. CBS/AP Iranian president says regime has "necessary will" to end the war Iran has the "necessary will" to end the war launched by the U.S.

and Israel, but only if certain conditions are met, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday, according to Iran's state media. While Pezeshkian's remarks in a phone call with a top European Union official may have helped ease investors' minds on Tuesday, the caveats he suggested — including a guarantee of no future aggression against the Islamic Republic — combined with demands by the Trump administration for concessions Tehran has already dismissed as unreasonable, likely mean a negotiated solution is still a distant possibility.

Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard, meanwhile, issued a new threat on Tuesday to expand attacks on U.S. businesses across the Middle East in retaliation for ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes. Israel says it hit Tehran with "wide-scale wave of strikes" The Israeli military said it carried out strikes on Wednesday on Tehran, where Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported blasts in several areas.

A brief military statement said Israeli forces had "completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure sites of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran." Israeli medics says at least 13 wounded by Iran missile fire Israel's emergency medical service said an 11-year-old girl was in serious condition after a missile attack that the military blamed on Iran and police said caused damage at several sites.

The military said it had "identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel" for the first time in about 20 hours, with air raid sirens activated across central Israel. Another warning of incoming missile fire came less than an hour later, prompting alerts across large parts of northern and central Israel, according to the military's Home Front Command. The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said an 11-year-old girl was seriously wounded by shrapnel in central Israel in the first launch.

Spokesman Zaki Heller told Israeli TV at least 12 others were also wounded, including a 13-year-old boy and 33-year-old woman in moderate condition, all at the same impact site. Police reported damage at several sites in central Israel and shared an image of what appears to be missile debris on a road. Israeli media said cluster munitions, which explode mid-air and scatter bomblets across a wide area, were used in the attack. Iran and Israel have previously accused each other of using cluster bombs. Iran threatens to target 18 U.S.

tech and finance companies in Mideast from Wednesday Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday that it would start targeting 18 U.S. technology and finance companies in the Middle East. The IRGC had issued a similar threat in early March, warning that the country's "legitimate targets are gradually expanding." In its Tuesday post on the Telegram messaging app, the IRGC accused 18 U.S.-based companies of acting as "spies" for the U.S. government, helping it to carry out strikes. The IRGC said the U.S.

had "ignored our repeated warnings about the need to stop terrorist operations, and today, a number of Iranian citizens were martyred in your and your Israeli allies' terrorist attacks; Since the main element in designing and tracking terror targets are American ICT and AI companies, in response to this terrorist operation, from now on the main institutions effective in terrorist operations will be our legitimate targets." The post warned "employees of these institutions to leave their workplaces immediately to save their lives.

Residents around these terrorist companies in all countries in the region should also leave their places within a radius of one kilometer and go to a safe place." Most of the companies named are major tech firms, including Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM and Cisco, but financial giant J.P. Morgan and Elon Musk's Tesla were also named, along with defense contractor Boeing and microchip maker Nvidia.

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