Overview
- Trump, who disclosed Wednesday that he could pull U.S. forces out within weeks, said any truce would require Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran rejected the claim that its president asked for a ceasefire and said its forces control Hormuz, as new strikes hit a Qatar‑contracted tanker and Kuwait’s airport on Wednesday.
- Airstrikes continued across the region with blasts reported in Tehran, where a strike appeared to hit near the former U.S. Embassy compound, and an Israeli strike in Beirut killed at least five people.
- Trump said he is “absolutely” considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO over what he calls weak allied support, while Britain’s leader defended the alliance and reiterated that the Iran war is not the U.K.’s fight.
- Oil prices, which have surged since Iran curbed traffic through Hormuz—a chokepoint for about one‑fifth of seaborne oil—fell on hopes of a wind‑down, yet fuel costs and inflation pressures remain elevated.