Iran-US conflict newest: Tehran dangers row with Trump with new plan to bypass Strait of Hormuz blockade
Tehran will use alternative ports to those in southern Iran to bypass the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr News is reporting.
The US military has claimed it has “maritime superiority in the Middle East” since the blockade began on Monday, in response to a collapse in US-Iran ceasefire talks over the weekend.
The military’s Central Command said that US forces had completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea – which it said fueled 90 per cent of Iran’s economy – in just 36 hours.
Donald Trump has since claimed that the Iran war is “close to over” and claimed Tehran wants to make a deal to end the conflict “very badly”.
“If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild their country”, Trump said of Iran in a pre-taped interview with Fox Business.“And we’re not finished. We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly”, the president added.
He predicted that there will be an “amazing two days ahead” but that it “could end either way”, ABC News reported.
Iran says it will use alternative ports to bypass US Strait of Hormuz blockade
Iran’s semi-official news agency Mehr News is reporting that Tehran will begin to use alternative ports for its exports in order to bypass the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
It’s unclear exactly which ports this refers to – we’re working to bring you that information.
The US military has claimed it has “maritime superiority in the Middle East” since the blockade began on Monday, in response to a collapse in US-Iran ceasefire talks over the weekend.
The Strait of Hormuz is currently used for the overwhelming majority of Iran’s export trade, in particular oil, it’s most profitable export.
The Caspian Sea, to Iran’s north, accounts for under 5 per cent of Iran’s exports, according to some estimates. It’s possible that this could rise while the blockade is in place, but as it is a closed sea, trade opportunities are far more limited.
Watch: AOC says Trump is threatening to genocide Iran
Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics, has accused the US president of threatening to carry out genocide on Iran.
Here’s what AOC said:
Urgent task ahead is to avoid resumption of war, says China
We’ve heard from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which has warned that the international community must urgently ensure the war in Iran is not resumed.
The momentum of the hard-won ceasefire between Washington and Tehran must be maintained, it adds.
Beijing said the war should never have happened particularly in light of the cost it has had for the international community – especially, it added, given the least developed countries have paid a high price.
You’re going to watch an amazing two days ahead, says Trump
Donald Trump has predicted that there will be an “amazing two days ahead” as he suggests the war in Iran is nearing its end.
Speaking to ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, the US president said he did not think it would be necessary to extend a two-week ceasefire that ends on April 21, according to a post by Karl on X.
“It could end either way, but I think a deal is preferable because then they can rebuild,” Trump said.
“They really do have a different regime now. No matter what, we took out the radicals.”
Watch: Trump says Iran was is ‘very close to over’
Hopes rise for renewed talks as US military says Iran blockade is in force
Hopes rose for renewed talks between the United States and Iran on Wednesday, as the US military said its blockade of Iranian ports was in full effect and Tehran threatened to retaliate by strike targets across the war-weary region.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a second round of talks could happen “over the next two days,” telling the New York Post the negotiations could be held again in Islamabad as diplomats worked through back channels to arrange them.
UN secretary-general António Guterres concurred, saying it’s “highly probable” that talks will restart. He cited a meeting he had with Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar.
China rebuffs reports of providing military support to Iran
China has refuted reports accusing Beijing of providing military support to Iran, calling it “purely fabricated”.
“If the US goes ahead with tariff hikes on China on the basis of these accusations, China will respond with countermeasures,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said this morning.
The Financial Times reported that Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite, which gave the Islamic Republic a new capability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war.
The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force in late 2024 after it was launched into space from China, the report said citing leaked Iranian military documents.
Trump turns on another European ally and says he is ‘shocked’ by her
President Donald Trump has hit out at Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, saying he expected her to be more courageous in a blunt public rebuke to one of his closest European allies.
Meloni had been a vociferous supporter of Trump but criticised his decision to go to war with Iran.
She had denounced his weekend criticism of Pope Leo as “unacceptable”.
Trump responded in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, saying Meloni was “very different from what I thought” and denouncing her for refusing to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran.
More here.
Iran used Chinese spy satellite to target US bases – report
Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite, giving the Islamic Republic a new capability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war, according to the Financial Times.
The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force in late 2024 after it was launched into space from China, the report said citing leaked Iranian military documents.
The Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major US military sites, the newspaper said, citing time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis.
The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations, FT said.
Pakistan ‘not giving up’ on peace efforts
Pakistan’s finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said “our leadership is not giving up” on efforts to help the US and Iran end the conflict after weekend talks in Islamabad failed to secure a deal.
Diplomats worked through back channels yesterday to arrange a new round of talks between the US and Iran after Washington enacted its blockade of Iranian ports.
US president Donald Trump said a second round of talks could happen “over the next two days,” telling the New York Post the negotiations could be held again in Islamabad.
Source: independent.co.uk
