Iran-US war latest: Trump extends ceasefire but says Strait of Hormuz will stay ‘totally blockaded’ – UK Times

Oil prices have fallen slightly this morning ​after rising about $1 at the start of trade in Asia, with investors assessing the outlook for ‌US-Iran peace talks following the US extension of a ceasefire.

Brent crude futures were down 21 cents, or 0.2 per cent, at $98.27 a barrel, after touching $99.38 earlier in the session. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 28 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $89.39, after climbing as high ​as $90.71.

US crude ​oil inventory fell by 4.5 million barrels last week after three ​weeks of gains, while gasoline and distillate stock also declined, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures.

US president Donald Trump is considering extending the Jones ⁠Act waiver, which allows foreign-flagged cargo ships to move ⁠fuel ​and other ⁠goods between domestic ports, ⁠according to Axios.

Trump ‌waived Jones Act limitations for 60 ‌days starting 17 March, hoping the move would ⁠help tame the surge in fuel prices caused by the Iran war by increasing shipments ‌from the US ​Gulf Coast ‌to other ⁠coastal markets ⁠in the country

Iranian hard-liners rallied late last night as possible talks in Islamabad with the US broke down, with members of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard apparently bringing a ballistic missile on a mobile launcher to one event.

Footage aired by Iranian state TV showed men carrying Kalashnikov-style assault rifles riding atop a missile that resembled a Qadr ballistic missile in Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Such Qadr missiles can release individual bomblets known as cluster munitions, which Iran used widely when attacking Israel during the war.

Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran following a request from Pakistan, which has been mediating in the conflict.

But the US president said the blockade of the country’s ports would remain in force.

He made the announcement as the deadline loomed on the fragile truce and proposed talks in Islamabad were put on hold, amid tensions over the stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz.

Writing in post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.

“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other”.

Jessica Genauer and Benedict Moleta write:

With a shaky ceasefire in place between the US, Israel and Iran – and little progress on talks to resolve the complex issues at the heart of the war – where is this conflict going?

The most likely scenario is a frozen conflict.

A frozen conflict is not static, but is an unresolved war that continues at a low-level below the threshold of full-scale combat.

This typically occurs when a comprehensive political agreement cannot be reached, such as the fighting in eastern Ukraine from 2014 until Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. This conflict was considered frozen despite the deaths of some 14,000 military personnel and civilians and persistent cyber and information warfare.

Even if negotiations resume this week in Pakistan and an eventual agreement is reached, there are still three reasons we believe this is headed towards a frozen conflict, not a comprehensive peace agreement.

Pope Leo has cautioned against using religion to justify violence, delivering what appeared to be yet another thinly-veiled rebuke of the ongoing Iran war.

“Without a change of direction in the assumption of political responsibility, and without respect for institutions and international agreements, humanity’s destiny risks being tragically compromised”, the leader of the Catholic church said Tuesday.

“God does not want this”, the pontiff continued. “His holy Name must not be profaned by the desire for domination, arrogance, or discrimination. Above all, it must never be invoked to justify death-dealing choices and actions”.

Mahdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dismissed the US-Iran ceasefire extension.

“Trump’s ceasefire extension means nothing. The losing side cannot dictate terms. The continuation of the siege is no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response.

“Moreover, Trump’s ceasefire extension is certainly a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike. The time for Iran to take the initiative has come”, Mohammadi wrote on X Tuesday.

The US naval blockade of Iranian ports has continued amid the ceasefire extension.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the extension of the US-Iran ceasefire.

“This is an important step toward de-escalation and creating critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States.

“We encourage all parties to build on this momentum, refrain from actions that could undermine the cease-fire, and engage constructively in negotiations to reach a sustainable and lasting resolution”, Guterres’ spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump has railed against the American media again for its coverage of the Iran war.

Trump claimed The Wall Street Journal has “lost its way” in a lengthy Truth Social rant about an op-ed the publication released Monday titled, “The Iranians Take Trump for a Sucker”.

Elliot Kaufman, a member of The WSJ’s editorial board, wrote in the piece, “Twice [Trump] has announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and twice he has given up U.S. leverage in exchange. Yet the strait remains closed, as Iran’s regime demands more”.

In response to the op-ed, Trump wrote Tuesday night, Washington time, “Really? For 47 years, [Iranians] have killed our people, and many others, and taken advantage of every President, except me — And what did I give to them, a Country in tatters!”

“I have a MORON on the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal writing about me being taken for a ‘sucker.’ Iran certainly doesn’t think so! Neither does anyone else”, the president wrote.