Europe ‘has maybe six weeks of jet fuel left’

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, according to Donald Trump.

The ceasefire will come into place from 10pm UK time.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, reached an agreement after speaking with the US President.

His full statement, posted on Truth Social, reads: ‘I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel.

‘These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST.

‘On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

‘I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin’ Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE.

‘It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’

As a tentative two-week ceasefire continues:

• Europe has ‘maybe six weeks of jet fuel left’ according to the head of the International Energy Agency, warning of flight cancellations ‘soon’ if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war
• Iran-US talks have turned to interim deal amid rifts over nuclear work, Iranian sources say
• Pete Hegseth has warned Iran that America is ‘locked and loaded’ as he claimed US in control of Strait of Hormuz
• US President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire
• Huge plumes of smoke were seen rising above Nabatiyeh as Israel unleashed a barrage of strikes on southern Lebanon, destroying the last bridge connecting the region to the rest of the country
• Iran is considering allowing ships to ​sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack, as part of proposals it has ‌offered in negotiations with the US
• The White House has expressed optimism about the prospect of a peace deal, with conversations mediated by ​Pakistan described as ‘productive and ongoing’

Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks or so (of) jet fuel left,’ the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday, warning of possible flight cancellations ‘soon’ if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called ‘the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,’ stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.

‘In the past there was a group called “Dire Straits.” It’s a dire strait now, and it is going to have major implications for the global economy,’ he told the Associated Press.

‘And the longer it goes, the worse it will be for the economic growth and inflation around the world,’ he said.

The impact will be ‘higher petrol (gasoline) prices, higher gas prices, high electricity prices,’ Birol added, with some parts of the world ‘hit worse than the others’.

‘The front line is the Asian countries’ that rely on energy from the Middle East, he said, naming Japan, Korea, India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

‘Then it will come to Europe and the Americas,’ he added, speaking from his Paris office looking out over the Eiffel Tower.

If the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened, he said that for Europe, ‘I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the flights from city A to city B might be canceled as a result of lack of jet fuel’.

A senior official for Hezbollah told Reuters the terror group was informed by Iran’s ambassador in Lebanon that a ceasefire could commence tonight.

Asked if Hezbollah would commit to the ceasefire, lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said a decision was tied to Israel’s commitment to halt all forms of hostilities.

The ceasefire is the result of Iranian diplomatic efforts, he said.

Israel has threatened to hit Iran with ‘even more painful’ strikes if the regime does not agree a deal in negotiations with the US.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: ‘Iran is facing a historic crossroads. This is their moment of choice – between a bridge to the future and an abyss of isolation and destruction.

If Iran chooses the latter option, it will ‘very quickly discover’ that targets Israel has not yet hit are ‘even more painful that the ones we have already attacked,’ he said, adding: ‘The choice is in their hands and the consequences are on them.’

by Alesia Fiddler

With the head of the International Energy Agency now predicting there to be ‘maybe six weeks’ of jet fuel left for Europe, there has been much discussion, and panic, as to what steps need to be taken next.

The Strait of Hormuz, which supplies 40 per cent of Europe’s jet fuel, has effectively been closed since the conflict began in the Middle East.

Climate charity, Possible, has now called on the British Government to ban private jets from wasting resources.

They have urged officials to ‘take swift action’ to help keep fuel available for family holidays abroad.

Alethea Warrington, head of aviation at Possible, said: ‘As disruption and instability from the oil industry continues, the government needs to take swift action to ensure that ordinary people’s summer holidays are protected.

‘Before accepting the cancellation of commercial flights, we need to ban private jets, luxury class flying, and curb ultra frequent flying.’

Donald Trump spoke by phone with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun this afternoon, a statement from Aoun’s office said.

In the statement on X, the presidency said Trump emphasised ‘his commitment to meeting the Lebanese request for a ceasefire at the earliest possible time.’

Meanwhile, President Aoun ‘renewed his thanks for the efforts Trump is exerting to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon and secure lasting peace and stability, paving the way for achieving the peace process in the region.’

Lufthansa said Thursday that labour disputes and high fuel prices are forcing it to immediately shut down its feeder airline CityLine earlier than planned and take its 27 older, less fuel efficient planes out of service.

CityLine’s primary role was bringing passengers to Lufthansa’s mid- and long-haul hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, Germany.

Fuel prices have soared since the outbreak of the Iran war in February and the blocking by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz. CityLine will halt operations on Saturday.

The Israeli military is preparing for a ceasefire in Lebanon to begin at 7pm Thursday local time, according to IDF officials.

High-ranking IDF commanders received instructions to prepare forces currently deployed in southern Lebanon for the truce, Haaretz reports.

It comes as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun today thanked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for Washington’s efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been at war for weeks.

by David Churchill and Mark Duell

Emergency services aircraft such as air ambulances would be prioritised under ‘worst case scenario’ planning for jet fuel shortages, the Daily Mail can reveal today.

Ministers are currently war-gaming the possibility of supplies of the fuel starting to dry up around the May half-term holidays, in about five to six weeks’ time, if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

As it stands, officials believe less than 10 per cent of flights would have to be cancelled if shortages hit because Britain has ‘diversified’ where it buys the fuel from.

However, this could still affect thousands of passengers as the summer holiday high season ramps up.

Officials have told airlines they must give passengers at least two weeks’ notice of any cancellations to avoid a repeat of chaotic scenes during the Covid-19 pandemic, when flights were axed at the eleventh hour and passengers left in the lurch.

According to sources familiar with shortages planning, were supplies to completely dry up, emergency services craft such as air ambulances and lifeguard and police helicopters would be prioritised for receiving supplies.

US and Iranian negotiators have scaled back ambitions for a comprehensive peace deal and are instead seeking a temporary memorandum to prevent a return to conflict, two Iranian sources told Reuters.

The shift follows last weekend’s inconclusive talks in Islamabad, where deep differences over Iran’s nuclear programme – including ‌the fate of its enriched uranium stockpiles and how long Tehran should halt nuclear work – have continued to threaten progress, despite US officials and Pakistani mediators talking up prospects.

A senior Iranian official said the two sides had started to narrow some gaps, including over how to manage the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for about 20% of the world’s oil and gas needs that has ​been closed to most ships for weeks.

But more than halfway through a two-week truce, deeper splits remain.

The senior ​official said these included agreeing on the fate of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU), which the US wants removed, and the duration of any halt to Iranian nuclear work, notably uranium enrichment.

The Iranian sources said the United States is demanding a halt to Iran’s nuclear enrichment work for 20 years, while Iran wants to limit it to three to five years.

A ​Western diplomat said the nuclear issue ‘remains a core obstacle.’

Germany is in principle ready to help secure transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities end, provided there is a mandate, preferably from the United Nations, and German parliamentary approval, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

‘We are still a long way from all of that,’ Merz told reporters on Thursday, a day before talks in Paris that, he said, would cover the issue of any possible participation of US armed forces.

He declined to specifically address a question on a newspaper report saying that Germany was prepared to offer demining and maritime surveillance expertise.

Germany’s defense ministry did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment on the report.

Merz, speaking at a press conference with his Irish counterpart, stressed that at least a provisional ceasefire would be required before any mission in the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran’s military nuclear program must end.