A woman walks past a giant billboard in Tehran that reads ‘the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.’ – Copyright AFP Hussein FALEH<\/p>\n
AFP teams in Tehran, Washington, Beirut and Jerusalem<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Wednesday that it should \u201cget smart soon\u201d and capitulate to Washington\u2019s demands for tight controls on its nuclear programme, as a US naval blockade turned the screws on Iran\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth was due to testify before Congress later in the day, but US press reports suggested Trump has already decided to reject Iran\u2019s latest proposed deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
The news sent oil prices higher once again. At around 1335 GMT, a barrel of Brent crude for June delivery was up 5.16 percent at $117, its highest level since the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran came into effect on April 8.<\/p>\n
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump intends to pursue the blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran is forced to dismantle its nuclear programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran can\u2019t get their act together\u2026 They better get smart soon,\u201d Trump posted on his social media platform, above a mocked-up picture of himself toting a rifle in front of explosions wrecking a desert fortress and the slogan: \u201cNo more Mr Nice Guy.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Iran has blockaded the strait \u2014 a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments from the Gulf \u2014 since the US and Israel launched the war two months ago, sending shockwaves through the global economy. But its own economy is also suffering.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Iranian rial fell to historic lows against the dollar, while Tehran residents speaking to AFP journalists in Paris reported a sense of despair.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time in recent years that negotiations have taken place, the economic situation of the people has only gotten worse. Sanctions have either started or intensified,\u201d a 52-year-old architect told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey go to negotiate and come back with even more sanctions, and the issue is always nuclear. There\u2019s no talk about people, the economy, or freedom. People have the right to not even want to hear the word \u2018negotiation\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u2013 \u2018No trust\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
During a White House state dinner Tuesday, Trump told Britain\u2019s King Charles III and other guests that Iran has been \u201cmilitarily defeated\u201d, and added: \u201cCharles agrees with me even more than I do \u2014 we\u2019re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
But an Iranian army spokesman told state TV on Tuesday that \u201cwe do not consider the war to be over\u201d, saying Tehran had \u201cno trust in America\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have many cards that we have not yet used\u2026 new tools and methods of fighting based on the experiences of the past two wars, which will definitely allow us to respond to the enemy more decisively\u201d should the fighting resume, Amir Akraminia said in an interview.<\/p>\n
Efforts to end the war have stalled in recent days. The latest Iranian proposal, passed along by Pakistan and studied by Trump administration officials in a meeting Monday, laid out red lines including on nuclear issues and Hormuz, according to Iran\u2019s Fars news agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The plan would reportedly see Tehran ease its chokehold on the strait and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade while broader negotiations continue, including over the nuclear programme.<\/p>\n
Iranian defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said Washington \u201cmust abandon its illegal and irrational demands\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations,\u201d he said, according to state TV.<\/p>\n
Qatar \u2014 a US ally that was hit by Iranian strikes despite its role as a mediator \u2014 warned of the possibility of a \u201cfrozen conflict\u201d if a definitive resolution is not found.<\/p>\n
\u2013 \u2018Attacks cannot continue\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
Violence has continued on the war\u2019s Lebanese front, despite a recently extended ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group that drew Lebanon into the war by firing rockets at Israel. Israel responded with strikes and a ground invasion.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the ceasefire began, the Lebanese army said Tuesday that an Israeli strike had targeted its troops, wounding two soldiers in the south.\u00a0Another strike Wednesday killed a Lebanese soldier, it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael must finally realise that the only path to security is through negotiations, but it must first fully implement the ceasefire in order to move on to negotiations,\u201d Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said, in a statement from the presidency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIsraeli attacks cannot continue as they are,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are now waiting for the United States to set a date to begin direct negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n
A UN-backed report said Wednesday that more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon were expected to face acute hunger due to the latest war.<\/p>\n
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