Trump warns of harsher attacks if Iran peace deal collapses
Trump warned of harsher attacks if Iran failed to honour a peace deal and said US forces would stay in place, while oil prices rose on fears over the fragile ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump said the United States would keep all military forces and equipment in the Middle East in place until a permanent peace deal with Iran is secured, while warning that Tehran could face an escalation unlike anything seen before if it failed to meet the conditions.
The remarks came as global oil prices rose again amid concerns over supply disruptions and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a social media post, Trump said US warships, combat aircraft and personnel, backed by extra ammunition and weapons, would remain in the region and stand ready to destroy “an already substantially degraded enemy” if necessary.
Even so, he said he still believed a lasting agreement was possible, claiming Iran had agreed not to develop nuclear weapons and would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, despite continuing signs that tensions remained high.
Iran says talks “unreasonable” after Israel pounds Lebanon
Trump’s warning came after Israel launched what was described as its biggest attack yet on Wednesday, killing more than 250 people in Lebanon.
In response, Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf said a ceasefire or negotiations were “unreasonable” while Israel continued to wage war alongside diplomacy and the United States kept pressing Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Oil jumps, Asian stocks soften on fragile ceasefire
Global oil prices climbed on Thursday (April 9) as investors feared the ceasefire agreement could unravel at any moment. Brent crude rose 2.07% to US$96.71 a barrel, while WTI gained 2.75% to US$97.01.
Prices remained well above pre-war levels, which had stood at around US$65 to US$70 a barrel, while Asian equities lost momentum, with Japan’s Nikkei slipping back into negative territory after surging the previous day as confidence in the ceasefire began to fade.
Battle over freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz
So far, there has been no clear sign that the Strait of Hormuz has officially reopened. Iran continues to assert control over the vital waterway and has called for “tolls” in exchange for safe passage, prompting Britain’s foreign secretary to argue that freedom of navigation is a universal right and that no charges should be imposed in international waters.
The naval arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also published maps showing alternative shipping routes to help commercial vessels avoid possible mines, adding to concerns that even if a ceasefire takes hold, clearing explosives from the sea lanes could take weeks or even years.
Multilateral talks are due to begin in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday, with the Iranian delegation expected to arrive on Thursday night, amid tensions over US and Israeli conditions that appear aimed at keeping the Lebanon front outside the ceasefire framework.
