LIVE: Iran threatens US with ‘crushing’ attacks

Donald Trump claimed near-victory in the Iran war during a low-energy White House address to the nation last night that sent oil prices soaring and global stocks sliding.

The President spoke for just under 20 minutes and didn’t announce any major developments – including whether ground troops would need to be deployed in the Gulf or who would take over leadership of the pariah state.

Instead, he repeated that Operation Epic Fury would conclude ‘shortly’, noting that the US’s military objectives were ‘nearing completion’ before vowing to bomb Iran ‘back to the Stone Ages’ if it didn’t do a deal.

Watch all the lines from his presidential address here:

Oil prices have risen to $106 per barrel after the US President addressed in his first primetime speech since launching the war on Iran.

The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil was $99 before he spoke to the nation yesterday.

Trump blamed the spike on the ‘Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighbouring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.

He did briefly acknowledge concerns among US citizens about the war causing soaring fuel prices.

However, Trump insisted these rising prices would soon go down while also adding that countries that get most of their oil from the Gulf region should lead the way in opening the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively blocked by Iran.

Britain, France and other U.S. allies have said they are willing to help to keep the strait open, but only after hostilities have ceased.

‘They can do it easily,’ Trump said. ‘We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.’

Trump was also frustrated that NATO allies had not offered to help open the strait, even threatening to withdraw from the 76-year-old alliance.

While he had told Reuters earlier in the day that he would discuss the US relationship with NATO in his speech, he did not mention the bloc.

Military planners are being convened to look at how to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz as part of efforts to reopen the vital sea passage, Yvette Cooper has said.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, the Foreign Secretary stressed ‘diplomatic and international planning measures’ were the focus of a meeting of foreign ministers.

She said: ‘Alongside today’s discussions, we are also convening military planners to look at how we marshal our collective defensive military capabilities, including looking at issues such as de-mining or reassurance once the conflict eases.

‘But in today’s meeting, we are focusing on the diplomatic and international planning measures, including collective mobilisation of our full range of diplomatic and economic tools and pressures, reassurance work with industry, insurers and energy markets, and also action to guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers, and effective co-ordination that we need across the world to enable a safe and sustained opening of the Strait.’

by Aidan Radnedge, Senior News Reporter

Prices at the pumps are surging as the war in the Middle East intensifies costs for motorists – with diesel at one petrol station now approaching £3 per litre.

Millions of drivers are embarking on Easter getaway trips in the UK today despite the soaring cost of fuel – while others face rail shutdowns and packed airports.

Oil prices – which have a major impact on the cost of wholesale fuel – have hurtled upwards in response to Iran’s stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, following US and Israeli-led military strikes on the country.

The RAC says the average price of a litre of diesel at UK forecourts hit 184.2p, up by 29 per cent since the war started on February 28.

Average petrol prices have reached 153.7p per litre, a rise of 16 per cent over the same period.

One fuel station in Chelsea, west London. was seen selling diesel for 229.9p per litre, with the equivalent rate for petrol set at 288.9p.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned ‘Iranian recklessness’ for ‘hitting global economic security’ as she addressed a virtual meeting of more than 40 countries aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Britain is seeking to lead a diplomatic initiative, understood to include 35 countries such as France, Germany and some Gulf nations, to reopen the passage, but Sir Keir Starmer has admitted restoring the flow of global trade will not be easy.

The virtual meeting will look at “all viable diplomatic and political measures” to reopen the vital oil and gas shipping route, which Iran has effectively closed for most exports.

Sir Keir outlined plans for the meeting to Nato secretary general Mark Rutte and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in phone calls on Wednesday afternoon.

Emmanuel Macron has said reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force is ‘unrealistic’.

Speaking to reporters in South Korea, the French President said: ‘Some people defend the idea of freeing the Strait of Hormuz by force via a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the United States, although it has varied.

‘This was never the option we have supported because it is unrealistic. It would take forever, and would expose all those who go through the strait to risks from the guardians of the revolution but also ballistic missiles.’

French President Emmanuel Macron said Donald Trump’s remarks about how his wife ‘badly treats’ him are not ‘elegant’ or ‘up to standard’.

Speaking in Seoul, Macron responded directly to the President’s mocking comments aimed at him during a lunch hours before his national address on the Iran war.

Trump ridiculded Macron for being slapped by his wife Brigitte and for failing to send warships to the Middle East.

The US President was referencing the viral video from last May that appeared to show the French First Lady pushing Macron in the face as they prepared to get off a plane in Vietnam.

Trump’s comments came before a televised address to the American nation on Wednesday night, during which he promised the military was close to defeating Iran and pledged to bomb the Islamic Republic ‘back to the Stone Ages’..

‘Then I call up France, Macron – whose wife treats him extremely badly – he’s still recovering from the right to the jaw,’ the US President joked during an Easter lunch at The White House hours before, eliciting laughter from the audience.

US Central Command, otherwise known as CENTCOM, has released new video of military equipment being blown up in Iran.

In a statement Admiral Brad Cooper said: ‘Now in our 5th week of the campaign, it is my operational assessment that we are making undeniable progress.

‘We don’t see their navy sailing. We don’t see their aircraft flying, and their air and missile defense systems have largely been destroyed.’

Travel agent Lastminute.com said war in the Middle East has impacted some 17,000 bookings, while holidaymakers are shifting towards alternative destinations like the Canary Islands and Sardinia.

The website, which offers holiday packages to destinations including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, said it was having to ‘adapt quickly’ to travellers changing their preferences in light of the conflict.

The US-Israeli war with Iran, which escalated at the end of February, led to disruption and cancellations of some flights to Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The airspace closures, coupled with consumer sentiment when it comes to travel taking a hit, affected approximately 17,000 bookings, Lastminute revealed.

It said the total volume of affected travel around the region is currently the equivalent of about a day and a half of its normal daily operations.

A senior Iranian official has told Pete Hegseth he is taking ‘soldiers to their graves’ as the Defense Secretary echoed Donald Trump’s threat Iran will be bombed ‘back to the Stone Ages’.

Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force commander Majid Mousavi responded directly to Hegseth on X, telling him: ‘It is you who are taking your soldiers to their graves, not Iran, whom you seek to drag back to the Stone Age.

‘Hollywood delusions have so poisoned your minds that, with your paltry 250-year history, you threaten a civilization over 6,000 years old.’

It comes as Iran dismissed Trump’s latest remarks on the war.

Donald Trump has sparked anger in France after claiming Emmanuel Macron’s wife ‘treats him extremely badly’.

The President made fun of the French president and imitated a French accent as he attacked Macron and Nato allies for not joining the war against Iran.

In France, politicians including a Macron critic were outraged by Trump’s attack.

‘Honestly, it’s not up to par,’ said Yael Braun-Pivet, president of France’s lower house of parliament.

‘We are currently discussing the future of the world. Right now in Iran, this is having consequences for the lives of millions of people, people are dying on the battlefield, and we have a president who is laughing, who is mocking others,’ she told franceinfo.

Even Manuel Bompard, coordinator of the hard-left France Unbowed party, rushed to Macron’s defence.

‘You are aware of the extent of my disagreements with the president, but for Donald Trump to speak to him like that and to speak of his wife in such a manner – I find that absolutely unacceptable,’ Bompard told broadcaster BFMTV.

by Eliana Silver, Senior Foreign News Reporter

A Dubai-based billionaire has warned that airlines could begin going bankrupt within weeks as the Middle East conflict sends shockwaves through the aviation industry, with bookings falling and fuel costs surging.

Gediminas Ziemelis, the founder of Avia Solutions Group, has said that the current crisis feels like a repeat of the Covid pandemic, with grounded planes, collapsing demand and no clear timeline for recovery.

‘We need to be ready for any area, district, jurisdiction and geopolitical risk,’ said Ziemelis.

He added: ‘If it lasts more than one month, we may see potential first bankruptcies,’ of airlines around the world.

The warning comes as fuel costs surge, placing intense pressure on airlines already dealing with disrupted routes.

Ziemelis said fuel typically accounts for about 25 per cent of an airline’s operating costs. Since the conflict began, oil prices have jumped nearly 50 per cent to around $100 a barrel.