Iran-US struggle newest: Tehran says battle will go on ‘until enemy’s give up’ after Trump says US will withdraw quickly
Iran has vowed to press on with the war until the “permanent surrender” of Israel and the United States, after Donald Trump said the military would conclude its operations “very shortly”.
Military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaqari said in an address on Thursday that the enemy “must pay the price for the aggression they initiated against the honourable and Muslim nation of Iran”.
He said the war would continue “until the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”, warning of “more extensive and devastating actions” to come.
The comments followed a rambling address from the US president on Wednesday night – his first to the nation since the conflict started – promising to “hit them extremely hard” over the next few weeks and complete “all of America’s military objectives shortly”.
The president earlier told reporters that the US could withdraw from the conflict as “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three” but later refused to give a timeline.
On Thursday, the UK’s foreign secretary Yvette Cooper condemned “Iranian recklessness” for “hitting global economic security” in talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz alongside a coalition of countries including France and Germany.
Key points recap: Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Iran
On Wednesday night President Donald Trump delivered a 17-minute national address on Iran.
Here’s a recap of key points in case you missed it:
- Trump announced that the U.S. military’s “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” though offered no further information on those objectives.
- The president appeared to slur his words on several occasions during the speech.
- He claimed the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” had “delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories like few people have ever seen before.”
- Trump repeated many of his same justifications for the month-old bombing campaign against Iran, including his claim there was an imminent threat of Tehran producing a nuclear weapon.
- He paid tribute to the 13 U.S. service members killed in the conflict and claimed their families had all told him to “finish the job.”
- Trump also once again blamed the rise in gas prices in the U.S. on the Iranian conflict and boasted the economy he had cultivated was strong enough to withstand it.
Is it safe to travel to Jordan? The UK government’s updated advice as strikes continue
The UK government has changed its travel advice for Jordan, advising against all but essential travel for the entire country, apart from its border with Syria where it advises against all travel.
Here’s what it means for you:
Ships being asked to pay Hormuz toll in Chinese currency: report
The Iranian navy is escorting foreign tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in return for large fees paid in Chinese currency and crypto, according to a report.
People with knowledge of the situation say that a more formal toll system is now emerging to offer certain ship operators safe passage in return for a variable fee.
Sources told Bloomberg that approved oil tankers pay a fee starting at $1 per barrel of oil, paid in yuan or cryptocurrency.
Successful payment grants ships access to a route and a secret passcode they can broadcast on approach to the Strait, summoning a patrol boat for escort through the channel.
UK foreign secretary Cooper condemns Iran’s ‘recklessness’ amid Strait of Hormuz chaos
British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned Iran’s “recklessness” in not allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as she met with a coalition of countries seeking to reopen the vital shipping route through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes.
She blamed Iran for “hitting global economic security” as she seeks to lead a diplomatic initiative including countries such as France, Germany and some Gulf nations in order to restore access to the waterway.
Inside Iran’s ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ guarding the Strait of Hormuz
A large island housing anti-ship missiles in the Strait has been briefed as a possible target of a ground offensive to break Iran’s grip, alongside key oil export hub Kharg Island.
Qeshm is a 558sq mile stretch off mainland Iran that has been fortified with an underground missile “city” that is used intermittently to attack ships passing through the waterway.
Iran has fortified the island with missiles, drones and fast-attack boats. Exact details are kept confidential, but retired Lebanese Brigadier-General Hassan Jouni, a military and strategic expert, told Al Jazeera that the island has the ability to strike from an underground “missile city”.
Here’s the full story:
Pictured: Aftermath of ‘drone strike’ in Iraq’s Erbil
Iraq has seen its share of attacks since hostilities erupted in February.
The picture below shows the aftermath of a suspected drone strike on an oil warehouse on the outskirts of Erbil on Wednesday.
Security sources have reported a string of attacks near Erbil Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan in recent days.
Watch: Trump promises to ‘bring Iran back to Stone Age’
Trump ‘isn’t smart enough’ to end war in Iran, says Ed Davey
Ed Davey has called for Sir Keir Starmer and allies to do the “diplomatic heavy lifting” as he said Donald Trump “isn’t smart enough” to end the war in Iran.
The Liberal Democrat leader said the US president “isn’t capable” of ending the conflict or reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“I was listening to Donald Trump last night…he’s incapable he’s not smart enough to bring this to an end,” Mr Davey told a press conference where he called for a ten per cent cut in rail fares and a fuel duty cut of 10p a litre on Thursday.
“And we’ve got to see an end to the fighting, he’s shown that he’s not smart enough to deal with the Strait of Hormuz challenge, which will remain according to the president – and that’s where the prime minister has to step up.”
He added that there needs an international coalition to do the “diplomatic heavy lifting” to reopen the key oil route, which he said the US president “isn’t capable of doing”.
‘Unprecedented’ UK fuel price rises surpass 2022 record
Fuel price rises in March were the highest on record, adding an “unprecedented” £11 to the cost of filling up an average vehicle.
The average cost for a litre of unleaded petrol rose by 20p in the month following America’s strikes on Iran, from 132.83p per litre to 152.83p. In the same period, diesel prices were up 40p to 182.77p, analysis by the RAC shows.
This surpasses the speed of the price rises seen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, when petrol prices rose by 16.6p and diesel by 22p.
Read the full story:
Kremlin says its ready to help end the war in Iran
Russia is ready to contribute to resolving the Iran conflict and President Vladimir Putin is continuing to talk with regional leaders, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
“The president is continuing these contacts, and if our services are somehow required, we are, of course, ready to make our contribution to ensuring that the military situation transitions to a peaceful course as soon as possible,” Peskov told reporters.
Peskov was responding to a question about U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech to the nation about the Iran war and his separate comment that he was considering pulling the United States out of NATO.
Source: independent.co.uk
