Middle East crisis live: war will end in ‘two or three weeks’ claims Trump; Rubio says US will ‘reexamine’ relationship with Nato
Trump says US will leave Iran in ‘two or three weeks’
Trump said on Tuesday US forces would end operations in Iran “very soon,” suggesting a timeline of two to three weeks. After his usual claims about “regime change” and how much of Iran’s capabilities the US has “knocked out”, Trump said:
Now we’re finishing the job. I think in two weeks or maybe a few days longer, we’ll do the job. We want to knock out everything they’ve got.
He has previously given vague and mixed messages about the US’s aims and timeline for the war.
Asked by a reporter how he was going to bring oil prices back down, Trump answered:
All I have to do is leave Iran – and we’ll be doing that very soon.
Then prices will “come tumbling down”, he said.
Trump also told reporters that the responsibility for keeping the strait of Hormuz open will rest with countries that rely on it. “That’s not for us … That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait.”
Key events
Iranian nationals are not allowed to enter or transit through the United Arab Emirates, according to the Emirates airline website.
Under the Emirates airline’s visa advice section, it states: “Nationals of Iran are not allowed to enter and transit”.
The website of another carrier, flydubaisaid Iranian nationals holding a UAE golden visa were exempt and permitted to enter and transit the country.
Summary
Here is a summary of the latest developments:
-
Trump said on Tuesday US forces would end operations in Iran “very soon,” suggesting a timeline of two to three weeks. Trump also told reporters that the responsibility for keeping the strait of Hormuz open will rest with countries that rely on it. “That’s not for us … That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait,” he said.
-
US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Fox News the US would need to reevaluate the Nato relationship after the conflict in Iran is concludedsaying “If now we have reached a point where the Nato alliance means that we can’t use [US military bases in Europe]… then Nato is a one-way street.”
-
Two-thirds of Americans believe that the US should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration, a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.
-
Asian markets rose sharply early on Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day in almost a year on renewed hopes that the Iran war could soon end. South Korea’s Kospi surged 6.4% in early trading, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 1.9%, while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.4% higher.
-
Thousands of additional US troops are heading to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush deployed on Tuesday and is slated to travel to the region along with three destroyers, two US officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 personnel.
-
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel. It said defence systems were operating to intercept the missile.
-
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack on Wednesday morning. The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capital’s north, east and centre, reporting “attacks on Tehran” without immediately providing more details.
-
A drone attack has sparked a large fire at Kuwait international airportaccording to its state news agency, which said no casualties had been reported, while in the last few hours Saudi Arabia has said it intercepted and destroyed two drones. Bahrain also said early on Wednesday that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack. A tanker also came under attack off the coast of Qatar early on Wednesday, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre.
-
Israeli strikes in southern Beirut and a nearby area have killed seven people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
-
An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said. The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked.
-
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the US open the strait of Hormuz by force. Citing Arab officials, the newspaper reported the UAE is lobbying for a UN security council resolution that would authorise such action.
Israeli military reports missile launched from Yemen towards Israel
The Israeli military says it has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel. It said defence systems are operating to intercept the missile.
We’ll have more news on this soon.
UAE preparing to help US open strait of Hormuz by force: WSJ reports
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the US open the strait of Hormuz by force.
Citing Arab officialsthe newspaper reported the UAE is lobbying for a UN Security Council resolution that would authorise such action. If the UAE does get involved, it would be the first Gulf country to become a combatant in the conflict, which began on 28 February.
The UAE and its oil infrastructure has been repeatedly targeted by Iranian drones.
Asian stocks jump on renewed hopes of Iran war ending
Back to some Asian markets news, shares were up sharply early on Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day in almost a year on renewed hopes that the Iran war could soon end.
South Korea’s Kospi surged 6.4% in early trading, while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 1.9%while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.4% higher.
Elsewhere, Australia’s S+P/ASX 200 was up 1.7%and Taiwan’s Taiex was up 4.3%.
The renewed optimism over a possible de-escalation of the Iran war, came after Donald Trump said the US will be done attacking Iran probably in two to three weeks.
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack on Wednesday morning.
The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capital’s north, east and centre, reporting “attacks on Tehran” without immediately providing more details.
It is now 6.30am in Tehran.
An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said, as regional security deteriorates after the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
The US state department said it was working to ensure the American’s release “as soon as possible”.
“An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities,” Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, wrote on X.
Iraq said that authorities intercepted a vehicle that overturned as they tried to flee. “Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime,” the Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement.
“The ministry affirms that efforts are ongoing to track down the remaining individuals involved, secure the release of the kidnapped journalist,” it added.
An Iraqi security source told Agence France-Presse the abduction occurred in Baghdad. Iraqi authorities did not identify the perpetrator or the victim.
The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked. Kittleson is a longtime freelancer in the region, reporting extensively from Syria and Iraq.
A drone attack has sparked a large fire at Kuwait international airportaccording to its state news agency.
Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said the airport was under an Iranian drone attack on Wednesday that led to “a large fire” at fuel tanks.
“Kuwait International Airport has been subjected to blatant attacks by drones launched by Iran and the armed factions it supports,” the official Kuwait News Agency quoted the spokesman of the general directorate of civil aviation as saying.
The spokesman, Abdullah Al-Rajhi, said “fuel storage tanks… were targeted, resulting in a large fire at the site”. No casualties have been reported.
Asked about how the strait of Hormuz, Rubio said the US depends “very little” on the strait and that countries around the world should be “stepping up” to ensure the free flow of oil and gas exports.
For all these countries that love to talk about international law, it is a violation of international maritime law to impede the free flow of travel in international waters…
We depend very little on the strait. So if, in fact, Iran decides to set up a toll, if, in fact, Iran decides that they’re going to illegally control the strait of Hormuz or decide they’re going to try to do that, look, I imagine that’ll be the president’s call – whether he wants to help. But this is a problem for the world. It is countries around the world [that] should be stepping up and dealing with that and saying that’s intolerable – and that’s what we’ve encouraged them to do.
Rubio rejected suggestions that the US does not have a clear strategy in Iran.
“I hear these news reports, and it’s very frustrating, that we don’t know what the objectives are,” he said.
The objectives are very clear… and we’re going to achieve all four of them. We’re going to destroy their air force. We already have done it. We’re going to destroy their navy. We’ve largely done that. We’re going to destroy their factories that make these missiles and these drones… We are going to severely degrade their missile launchers so that they can’t fire these multiple salvos…
We are well on our way to achieving all four of those objectives. Those objectives will be achieved. They’ll be achieved very soon.
Rubio says US will ‘have to reexamine’ NATO relationship
Rubio told Fox News the US would need to “reexamine” the NATO relationship after the conflict in Iran is concluded.
Why do we have billions and billions of dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars, over the years, trillions of dollars, and all these American forces stationed in the region… if in our time of need we’re not going to be allowed to use those bases?” he said.
I do think, unfortunately, we are going to have to reexamine whether or not this alliance that has served this country well for a while is still serving that purpose. Or has it now become a one-way street where America is simply in a position to defend Europe, but when we need the help of our allies, they’re going to deny us basing rights and they’re going to deny us overflight. I think these are very legitimate questions that we need to be asking.
