President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran \u201cvery hard\u201d in the next two or three weeks and bring the country \u201cback to the Stone Ages,\u201d even as he touted the success of U.S. operations and argued that all of Washington\u2019s objectives have so far been met or exceeded.<\/p>\n
Trump said Iran would continue to face a barrage of attacks in the short term.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump didn\u2019t say anything about negotiations with Iran or bring up the April 6 deadline he set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for global oil and gas transport. He has threatened to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure if the strait was not reopened. <\/p>\n
Trump also did not offer a clear path to end the supply disruptions that have sent energy prices soaring. He did not mention the possibility of sending U.S. ground troops into Iran, or NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance he has railed against for not helping the U.S. secure the waterway.<\/p>\n
Oil rose more than 6% and Asian stocks fell after the comments. Oil prices were sharply higher following Trump\u2019s remarks. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 4.9% to $106.16 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 4% to $104.15 a barrel.<\/p>\n
U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses\u2019 transportation and packaging costs pile up.<\/p>\n
Here is the latest:<\/p>\n
Iran official dismisses Trump\u2019s speech as \u2018insane\u2019<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Iran\u2019s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday dismissed a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump as \u201cinsane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias Hazrati made the comment on Iranian state television, insisting Trump\u2019s remarks \u201cboosted our nation\u2019s integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump is tangled with insane remarks,\u201d he said. \u201cToday, Iran is managing the Strait of Hormuz powerfully.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran military spokesman insists Tehran has hidden stockpiles<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Iran\u2019s military, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s speech, insisted Thursday that Tehran maintains hidden stockpiles of arms and munitions.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the Iranian military\u2019s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe centers you think you have targeted are insignificant, and our strategic military productions take place in locations of which you have no knowledge and will never reach,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n
Israel and the United States have hit thousands of targets in the weekslong war, targeting military bases, missile launchers and other sites.<\/p>\n
Iranian missile fire has dropped, though Tehran is still able to mount attacks.<\/p>\n
Oil rises 6% and stocks lower after Trump address<\/p>\n
Oil rose more than 6% and stocks fell after U.S. President Donald Trump said in his national address Wednesday night that the U.S. will continue to hit Iran \u201cextremely hard over the next two to three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 6.9% to $108.15 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 6.4% to $106.55 a barrel.<\/p>\n
Tokyo\u2019s Nikkei 225 was down 2.4% to 52,463.27 on Thursday. South Korea\u2019s Kospi lost 4.5% to 5,234.05.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng fell 1.3% to 24,965.07, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.9% to 3,913.88.<\/p>\n
Former Iranian foreign minister reportedly wounded in airstrike<\/p>\n
An airstrike has severely wounded a former Iranian foreign minister who once suggested Tehran could seek a nuclear weapon, Iranian media outlets reported.<\/p>\n
The attack Wednesday wounded Kamal Kharazi, 81, and killed his wife, the reports said.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t clear if the airstrikes targeted Kharazi or another site nearby.<\/p>\n
Kharazi served as a foreign minister for Iran\u2019s reformist President Mohammad Khatami, then as a foreign affairs adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n
In 2022, he told Al Jazeera that Tehran has \u201cthe technical means to produce a nuclear bomb but there has been no decision by Iran to build one,\u201d sparking concern about Tehran\u2019s intentions.<\/p>\n
After the war began, Kharazi told CNN: \u201cI don\u2019t see any room for diplomacy anymore. Because Donald Trump had been deceiving others and not keeping with his promises, and we experienced this in two times of negotiations \u2014 that while we were engaged in negotiation, they struck us.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Korea and Washington in contact about Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n
South Korea says it is in close contact with Washington about efforts to address Iran\u2019s control of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said Thursday that Seoul supports the swift normalization of the shipping route and is exploring \u201cdiverse measures\u201d to protect its citizens and ensure the safe flow of energy supplies.<\/p>\n
Park said he couldn\u2019t specify South Korea\u2019s possible options.<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged South Korea and other Asian nations to help reopen the waterway.<\/p>\n
At an Easter event Wednesday at the White House, Trump expressed frustration with some Asian countries for not getting involved in opening the strait.<\/p>\n
US embassy warns of imminent attacks in Baghdad<\/p>\n
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warned citizens Thursday that Iran-linked militias in Iraq \u201cmay intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
The embassy says the attacks could target \u201cU.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian targets.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was not the first statement issued by the embassy urging U.S. citizens to leave Iraq, but the warning about potential attacks was unusually specific.<\/p>\n
An American freelance journalist, Shelly Kittleson, was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday and remains missing. No group has claimed responsibility, but U.S. officials have blamed the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia for her abduction.<\/p>\n
South Korean president seeks $17 billion supplementary budget<\/p>\n
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday urged the legislature to approve a 26.2 trillion won ($17.2 billion) supplementary budget to mitigate what he called an \u201cextraordinary\u201d energy crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Addressing lawmakers, Lee proposed using the funds to bankroll government-set price caps on oil, which the country has reinstated for the first time in three decades, and provide tiered subsidies of 100,000 won to 600,000 won ($65.7 to $394) to low- and middle-income households struggling with fuel costs.<\/p>\n
Lee said the money will also be used to secure stable supply chains for oil and other crucial resources and support export industries.<\/p>\n
Lee said the current energy crisis is \u201cnot a passing shower, but a massive storm of unknown duration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if the war ends tomorrow, it would take considerable time to restore destroyed infrastructure in the Middle East and restore the flow of supplies to previous levels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Think tank says Trump leaving Gulf Arab allies \u2018in the lurch\u2019<\/p>\n
A New York-based think tank said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s speech suggests he \u201cis willing to leave the Strait of Hormuz off the table, leaving other nations to deal with the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump\u2019s message was that the United States can sustain its own economic and energy ecosystem, while countries dependent on regional exports will either have to buy from the United States or manage the Strait themselves,\u201d the Soufan Center wrote. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Trump explicitly thanked U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf for their cooperation and allyship, an expedited U.S. withdrawal without securing the Strait will leave many of these countries, whose economies are dependent on energy exports, in the lurch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuel prices in Thailand soar<\/p>\n
Fuel prices in Thailand soared again on Thursday after the government further cut subsidies, sending diesel price to over 44 baht ($1.35) per liter, about 12% increase.<\/p>\n
The surge was the second time in a week, after a majority of fuel prices rose by 6 baht ($0.18) per liter last Thursday.<\/p>\n
Democrats slam Trump speech for failing to offer answers on Iran war<\/p>\n
Democrats are criticizing Trump\u2019s primetimeprime-timeto the American people on the war in Iran as \u201cincoherent\u201d and as doing little to answer \u201cthe most basic questions the American people,\u201d according to statements from two Democratic lawmakers released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., noted that Trump owed Americans more answers about a conflict that has driven up prices on gas \u201calongside rising prices for diesel, fertilizer, aluminum, and other essentials, with consequences that will continue to ripple through the economy for a long time to come\u201d in his statement.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., released a statement that said the \u201cspeech was grounded in a reality that only exists in Donald Trump\u2019s mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy went on to add that \u201cno one in America, after listening to that speech, knows whether we are escalating or deescalating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oil rises and Asian stocks fall after Trump\u2019s address<\/p>\n
Oil rose more than 4% and Asian stocks fell after U.S. President Donald Trump said in his first national address since the Iran war began that the U.S. will keep hitting Iran very hard.<\/p>\n
Trump also said the United States will \u201cfinish the job\u201d in Iran and that military operations could wrap up soon.<\/p>\n
Tokyo\u2019s Nikkei 225 was down 1.4% to 53,004.81 in early Asia trading on Thursday. South Korea\u2019s Kospi lost 3.4% to 5,292.36. Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng fell 0.8% to 25,082.59.<\/p>\n
U.S. futures were down more than 0.7%.<\/p>\n
Oil prices were sharply higher following Trump\u2019s remarks. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 5% to $106.22 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 4.2% to $104.36 a barrel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran \u201cvery hard\u201d in the next two or three…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248192,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[9066,74,76,75,99258],"class_list":{"0":"post-248191","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-middle-east","9":"tag-san-diego","10":"tag-san-diego-headlines","11":"tag-san-diego-news","12":"tag-war-with-iran"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}