LIVE: Trump willing to end war ‘without reopening Strait of Hormuz’

Here’s all the latest developments on the US-Israel war with Iran:

• Donald Trump has reportedly signalled to aides he is willing to leave the Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz
• It comes just hours after Trump threatened to blow up Iranian power plants and oil wells
• Trump later shared video as the US unleashed devastating air strikes on an ammunition depot believed to house Iran’s enriched uranium
• An Iranian drone has stuck a fully loaded Kuwaiti tanker anchored at Dubai port
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed an Israeli-owned ship has been struck in the Persian Gulf and US marines have been targeted with drones in the UAE
• Israel’s emergency services say eight people have been injured after an Iranian missile strike in central Israel
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war on Iran had achieved more than half its aims without putting a timeline on when it would end
• Italy denied US bombers access to an air base in Sicily last week after pilots apparently failed to ask for permission to land
• China has expressed its ‘gratitude’ after ships pass Strait of Hormuz

Stick with us for the latest developments throughout the day.

Donald Trump has told the UK and other countries worried about jet fuel shortages to ‘build up courage’ and take it from the Strait of Hormuz.

Writing on Truth Social, the US President said nations will have to ‘start learning how to fight for yourself’ and suggested the US ‘won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us’.

Read Trump’s full post below:

by Sabrina Penty, Foreign News Reporter

The Pentagon has denied allegations that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth attempted to make a big investment in major defence companies in the weeks leading up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

The claims were reported by the Financial Times, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rebuffed the allegations, writing on X that the story was ‘entirely false and fabricated’ and demanded a retraction.

The FT report said Hegseth’s broker at Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock in February about making a multimillion-dollar investment in the asset manager’s Defence Industrials Active ETF, shortly before the US launched military action against Tehran.

According to the FT report, the investment discussed by Hegseth’s broker did not ultimately go ahead as the fund, which launched in May last year, was not yet available for Morgan Stanley clients to buy.

The Gulf states are ‘unified’ in calling for a de-escalation of the Iran war, Qatar’s foreign ministry has said.

It comes as Tehran launched new strikes against its neighbours with drone interceptions in Saudi Arabia and UAE while a Kuwaiti oil tanker was struck in Dubai.

‘Our understanding is that there is a very unified position in the Gulf on calling for the de-escalation and an end to the war,’ Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a regular news briefing.

His remarks come amid reports Gulf nations are privately urging Donald Trump to continue the war.

Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain are said to conveyed they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there’s a dramatic shift in Iran’s behaviour.

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz has reiterated plans to build a new security zone in southern Lebanon which means more than 600,000 people will be unable to return to their homes.

Katz has announced all homes in Lebanese villages near the border will be demolished to make way for the zone which will operate ‘in accordance with the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza’.

After speaking to senior military officials, Katz said: ‘At the conclusion of the operation, the IDF will establish a security zone inside Lebanon… and will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani River’.

It means Israel will block the return of more than 600,000 residents across southern Lebanon ‘until the safety and security of northern Israeli residents is ensured’.

Iranian media said airstrikes have put a desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island out of service, though the report did not specify when the attack took place.

It comes after Donald Trump threatened yesterday to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power infrastructure, oil wells and ‘possibly all desalinisation plants’.

There have been several attacks on desalination plants in the ongoing war, sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

Bahrain reported an Iranian strike on a facility on March 8, apparent retaliation for the US hit on Qeshm the day before.

Kuwait reported an Iranian attack on a desalination and electricity plant on Monday, which Tehran blamed on Israel.

The Middle East is among the driest regions in the world, with many countries dependent on desalination plants for domestic and industrial water supplies.

Desalinated water provides 42 percent of drinking water in the United Arab Emirates, 70 percent in Saudi Arabia, 86 percent in Oman and 90 percent in Kuwait, according to a 2022 report from the French Institute of International Relations think tank.

Average US gas prices have soared past $4 a gallon, the American Automobile Association (AAA) reported Tuesday, the highest for nearly four years on the back of the Iran war.

Spiking gas prices, up from less than $3 at the end of February, represent the latest bad news for President Donald Trump after he ordered strikes on Iran in a war that has threatened to drag down the global economy.

The average price was $4.018 per gallon as of Tuesday morning, the AAA data said on its website.

The last time prices were above $4 was in August 2022, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

The price jump heightens the political risks for Trump several months before crucial midterm elections.

Iran has claimed US-Israeli strikes have struck one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country.

In a statement on X, the Iranian government said: ‘During the US and Zionist regime attacks on civilian centres, on the morning of Tuesday, one of the largest companies producing anti-cancer, anaesthetic and specialised medicines was damaged and the drug production line was damaged.’

The pharmaceutical company is owned by the Social Security Investment Company, a state-run holding firm managing pension funds.

This picture shows the Kuwait-flagged Al Salmi crude oil tanker which was attacked by an Iranian drone while anchored in Dubai.

The Al Salmi vessel was fully loaded when it was hit earlier today.

Kuwait Petroleum Corp, the ship’s owner, said the ‘direct, heinous Iranian attack’ caused a fire and hull damage and sparked fears of an oil spill.

Dubai authorities said maritime firefighting teams successfully put out the blaze which was contained and added all 24 crew members were safe.

China and Pakistan will ‘strengthen’ their co-operation on Iran, Beijing’s foreign ministry has said.

The Asian neighbours have both sought to mediate in the Middle East to prevent the conflict from escalating, with Islamabad saying it was ready to host ‘meaningful talks’ between the United States and Iran.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who is also deputy prime minister, is visiting Beijing where he will meet with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi for talks on international and bilateral issues.

‘The two foreign ministers will strengthen strategic communication and coordination on the Iran situation and… make new efforts toward advocating for peace,’ Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press conference.

Authorities in Dubai have confirmed four Asian nationals have suffered minor injuries after shrapnel from a drone interception fell onto houses.