Wednesday: As it happened
- Donald Trump’s request for $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon “reflects the urgency of the moment”, Pete Hegseth has said
- Hegseth also said allies will “face consequences” for not helping the US”
- At least six ships, a fraction of the usual traffic, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed on Wednesday
- Strikes by the Israeli military have continued in Lebanon and Gaza, despite ceasefires being in place in both areas
- Trump said Iran “better get smart soon” in an early morning social media post that included an image of himself holding an assault rifle in front of a town being hit with explosions
Best reads
- Edward Luce: Get used to the long Iran war
- UAE leaves Opec, deepening oil market uncertainty
Britain’s king Charles would have ‘probably helped’ US with Iran, Trump claims
Donald Trump has claimed Britain’s king Charles “would have probably helped” the US in its military offensive against Iran.
The US president made his remarks in the Oval Office following Charles’s speech to Congress, in which the monarch argued the need for a strong Nato and help for Ukraine, which have both been criticised by the American leader.
Trump has repeatedly lambasted the UK for failing to join strikes against Tehran and branded British prime minister Keir Starmer as weak and indecisive.
“The king is fantastic. We spent a lot of time together. We had a lot of talk. We talked about this also, and he loves his country, and he’s a great king, and he’s a great friend of mine.
“And I think if he were doing that, if that were up to him, he would have probably helped us with Iran.”
On Tuesday, Trump also used a speech during the king’s state visit to claim Charles had agreed with him on the need to prevent Tehran getting a nuclear bomb.
“We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever – Charles agrees with me, even more than I do – we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon,” he said. – PA
While the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has been testifying, Trump referred to the war with Iran while speaking to reporters and did not sound optimistic about sending top aides to engage in talks again in the near term.
Trump said he likes face-to-face talks but said it was “ridiculous” for negotiators to fly 18 hours just to get “a piece of paper that you don’t like before you even leave.”
Trump added: “They’ve come a long way. The question is whether or not they’re going to go far enough. So at this moment, there will never be a deal, unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons.” - The New York Times
Trump welcomes UAE decision to leave Opec
The US president has also praised a decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave Opec, saying it would help lower energy prices that have soared in the wake of the war in Iran.
“I think it’s great,” Trump said Wednesday at the White House, when asked about the move.
“He probably maybe wants to go his own way,” Trump added, referring to the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “It’s a good thing for getting the price of gas down, getting oil down, getting everything down.”
The UAE announced this week that it would leave Opec next month, a move that threatens to undercut the group’s sway over oil markets at a time when the industry is grappling with the supply disruptions from the US and Israeli war on Iran.
The move is the culmination of years of tensions between the UAE and OPEC leader Saudi Arabia over a number of issues, including oil output levels. - Bloomberg
Trump says Iran talks being conducted by phone
US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday Iran talks are being conducted by phone after he cancelled a trip over the weekend for US negotiators to travel to Pakistan to speak with Tehran officials. – Reuters
Trump said he discussed a possible ceasefire in the four-year-old war in Ukraine during the phone call with Putin.
“We had a good talk, I’ve known him a long time,” said Trump.
Trump, speaking to reporters as he met with astronauts from the Artemis II mission in the Oval Office, said he suggested “a little bit of a ceasefire” in the war in Ukraine in his phone call with the Russian leader.
“And I think he might do that,” Trump said, then asked reporters whether Putin had already announced a ceasefire.
Trump has a history of making positive comments about Putin and sharply criticizing Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy for not agreeing to make a deal with Russia to end the war.
Trump said Putin offered to help on the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium, a key obstacle to a deal to end the Iran war, but “I said I’d much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine.”
“I said, before you help me, I want to end your war,” said Trump. – Reuters
Putin, in call with Trump, put forward ideas on Iran, Kremlin says
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a phone call on Wednesday in which the Russian leader put forward ideas on resolving the conflict over Iran’s nuclear programme, a Kremlin aide has said.
Putin also proposed a repeat of a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine to mark the anniversary of the end of the second World War next month, the aide said. Putin announced a similar truce last year which lasted three days but was not agreed with Kyiv.
The phone call was the first publicly announced conversation between the two leaders since March 9th, nine days after the US and Israel launched a war with Iran.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov did not say what proposals Putin had made on Iran. Moscow has previously offered to take enriched uranium out of the country.
Ushakov told reporters that Putin had proposed the temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for celebrations on May 9th to mark the Soviet Union’s part in the defeat of Nazi Germany in the second World War. He said Trump reacted positively.
Ushakov added that Trump, in a friendly and businesslike conversation lasting over one and a half hours, had said he believed a deal to end the Ukraine war was close. – Reuters
More than one million in Lebanon expected to face acute food insecurity, hunger monitor says
More than one million people in Lebanon are expected to face a food insecurity crisis in the months ahead as a result of renewed conflict and mass displacement, a global hunger monitor said on Wednesday.
A new analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has found that 1.24 million will be unable to consistently meet basic food needs and will be forced to reduce the quality and quantity of foods consumed, or resort to harmful coping strategies to survive.
“These results underscore the severity of the current situation in Lebanon, where conflict intersects with economic pressures putting national food security under critical risk and juncture,” said Nora Ourabah Haddad, the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) representative in Lebanon.
The nearly two-month war between Israel and Iran-backed armed group Hizbullah has displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon, with many heads of households out of work and relying on donations to survive as the regional conflict drives up food prices.
The IPC said Lebanon’s agricultural sector, once a critical source of food and income, has suffered from damage to farmland, displacement of farmers and rising input costs.
More than 76 per cent of south Lebanon’s farmers have been displaced and 22 per cent of all agricultural land damaged in the latest bout of fighting, according to Lebanon’s agriculture ministry. – Reuters
Attacks on hospitals and medics rising, driven by Middle East conflict, says WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said attacks on healthcare facilities and staff are increasing globally, with a notable uptick recorded since the recent conflict in the Middle East began.
Before the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran at the end of February, attacks globally on such facilities and staff averaged about 3.7 per day, but that has now increased to 4.3, the WHO said.
“This is clearly showing that healthcare is the target,” Altaf Musani, the WHO’s director of emergency health interventions, told reporters in Geneva.
The attacks include air strikes and shelling of hospitals and clinics as well as arrests and intimidation of healthcare workers.
“When healthcare is needed most, it is being attacked ... These attacks are having a deep impact on functionality,” Musani said.
Since the recent conflict in the Middle East began, 50 hospitals and private healthcare centres have been closed and 16 hospitals have been damaged across the region, according to the WHO.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has repeatedly denounced the attacks and has called for accountability, highlighted 149 attacks on healthcare have been identified in Lebanon.
The UN human rights office said last month that Israeli strikes on civilians including healthcare workers in Lebanon may amount to war crimes.
Israel has repeatedly denied that it targets healthcare workers and says it is targeting Hizbullah sites.
There have also been 26 reported attacks on healthcare sites in Iran since the end of February, Ghebreyesus added. – Reuters
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth sought to defend the Iran war in fiery remarks to Congress on Wednesday, saying it was not a “quagmire” and attacked Democratic lawmakers as “feckless” for criticising the unpopular conflict.
Hegseth was testifying before Congress for the first time since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28th.
Democrats peppered Hegseth with questions about the open-ended conflict, with John Garamendi of California calling it a “quagmire” and “political and economic disaster at every level.”
“You call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies? Shame on you for that statement,” Hegseth responded. – Reuters
Washington shooting suspect made ‘online checks’ to track Trump
The man accused of trying to assassinate US president Donald Trump took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes earlier, equipped with an ammunition bag, shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife, investigators said.
Cole Allen wore black trousers, a black shirt and a red tie as he snapped the image in his room at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and hundreds of journalists were meeting for a gala on Saturday night, authorities said.
Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was captured when he tried to race past a security barricade near the ballroom, prompting an exchange of gunfire with secret service agents tasked with safeguarding the event, authorities said.
Allen’s lawyer said he is presumed innocent.
New details emerged in a court filing made by prosecutors who want Allen to remain in custody.
The US government said Allen repeatedly made online checks to keep track of Trump’s status that night, including live coverage of the president exiting his vehicle at the Hilton hotel.
Investigators said preset emails with an “apology and explanation” attachment were sent at approximately 8.30pm.
“He intended to kill and fired his shotgun while trying to breach security and attack his target. Put simply, the defendant poses an uncommonly serious danger to the community if released pending trial.
“The defendant’s lack of criminal history and other personal circumstances do not alter this conclusion,” assistant US attorney Charles Jones wrote. – Associated Press
Wednesday evening recap
Hormuz shipping traffic remains at a trickle as US-Iran deadlock deepens
At least six ships, a fraction of the usual traffic, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed on Wednesday, while the US and Iran remain deadlocked over coming to terms that would reopen the crucial waterway.
The vessel traffic was mainly through Iranian waters and most of the ships were dry bulk carriers. Reuters could not determine if more than six had transited the strait, but ship traffic has averaged around seven vessels a day in recent days.
That is a minuscule percentage of the normal flow through the crucial waterway at the entrance to the Gulf, which was at 125 to 140 daily passages before the Iran war began on February 28th.
US president Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to “get smart soon” and sign a deal, following days of deadlock in efforts to end the conflict and a media report that the US would extend its blockade of Iran’s ports.
Shipping companies that make any payment to Iran for passage through the strait result in sanctions exposure even for non-US people, the US Treasury said in an advisory on Tuesday.
Payments to the government of Iran or its Revolutionary Guards “directly or indirectly” for safe passage would not be authorised for US people, including US financial institutions, or for US-owned or -controlled foreign entities, it said. – Reuters
Record $1.5 trillion request for Pentagon reflects ‘urgency of the moment’, Hegseth says
Donald Trump’s request for $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon “reflects the urgency of the moment”, Pete Hegseth has said.
Wednesday’s committee is formally billed as a routine hearing on the Pentagon’s budget request, with the Trump administration requesting a record $1.5 trillion in defence spending.
Hegseth said it was a “historic” and “warfighting budget”, adding that his department needed to get back on a “wartime footing” after what he called years of underinvestment under the Biden administration.
Earlier, Hegseth defended the war on Iran, reiterating that it “cannot have a nuclear bomb”.
“We are proud of this undertaking,” he said.
“The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” he added. – The Guardian
Allies will ‘face consequences’ for not helping US, Hegseth says
Pete Hegseth has said the US will help allies that step up on defence and punish partners that fail to do so, striking a combative tone as he appeared before Congress on Wednesday.
“Model allies that step up, like Israel, South Korea, Poland, Finland, the Baltics, and others, will receive our special favour,” Hegseth said in prepared remarks for a budget hearing before the House armed services committee.
“Allies that do not – allies that still fail to do their part for collective defence – will face consequences.”
The House armed services committee’s senior Democrat, Washington’s Adam Smith, criticised the Trump administration for “gratuitously” insulting US allies in the Nato alliance and “going it alone” in Iran.
“What is the plan to achieve our objectives? We’ve seen the costs,” Smith said. He called the administration’s budget request “hopelessly unrealistic.”
On Wednesday, Hegseth also reiterated the Trump administration’s new stance toward China, saying the US wants “an approach aimed not at domination but rather at a balanced relationship.” – Bloomberg
US war in Iran has cost $25 billion so far, says Pentagon official
The war in Iran has cost the US $25 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday, providing the first official estimate of war costs.
Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the comptroller, told lawmakers on the House armed services committee that most of that money was for munitions. – Reuters
Stabbing of two Jewish men declared as terrorist attack
A stabbing that saw two Jewish men, one aged 76, injured in London has been declared a terrorist attack, British police said.
A 45-year-old man has been arrested after he was seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public”, Jewish security group Shomrim said on social media.
Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Wednesday, head of counter terrorism policing Laurence Taylor confirmed the stabbing has been formally declared a “terrorist incident”.
“Our highly specialised teams of officers are working with the Metropolitan Police to progress this investigation quickly and establish exactly what has happened.
“We’re also working with our partners in the security services to ensure we have a full intelligence picture, and one of the lines of inquiry is whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London,” Taylor said. – PA
Iran conflict brings new levels of uncertainty for travel industry, says Spain’s Aena
The conflict in Iran and the possibility of a jet fuel crisis are causing unprecedented levels of uncertainty for the travel industry ahead of the summer holiday season, Spanish airport operator Aena said on Wednesday.
Aena, which operates all of Spain’s airports as well as some in Latin America and Britain, is waiting for greater visibility before providing an update on the current passenger traffic forecast of 1.3 per cent growth for this year, chief financial officer Ignacio Castejon said during a call with analysts.
“We are seeing news about flights being cancelled or airlines confirming flight tickets going up ... We are seeing many trends. It is too early to put a number on it given the uncertainty, which in my opinion is at the highest levels that I have seen in my career,” he said.
Spain’s tourism industry has continued to benefit from strong demand as holidaymakers avoid the Middle East, prompting airlines operating in Spain to add capacity for the summer season, although the tourism industry has flagged potential risks from a fuel supply crunch, which could curtail travel.
Castejon said supplies of jet fuel and kerosene had been secured for the coming weeks. “Of course, everything is going to depend on the length of the war,” he said. – Reuters
Italy has enough jet fuel until end of May, transport minister says
Italy’s jet fuel reserves are enough to cover airport operations at least until the end of May, Italian transport minister Matteo Salvini said on Wednesday, during a parliamentary question time session.
On Tuesday, the head of the International Air Transport Association, Willie Walsh, told Reuters there is a “risk that we’ll see rationing of fuel supply, particularly in Asia and Europe”.
Walsh said, however, that the situation was not yet as bad as the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which led to travel demand plummeting and hundreds of billions of dollars in losses for the aviation sector.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary, meanwhile, played down concerns, believing the risk a supply disruption was “receding”.
‘Significant’ fuel support schemes worth €220m confirmed for farmers and hauliers
Two “significant” fuel support schemes for road transport firms and farmers worth a combined €220 million are being made available in response to the fuel prices crisis.
The new scheme will result in a reduction of 20 cent per litre – or €200 per 1,000 litres of green diesel, also known as marked gas oil – for farmers and farm contractors for fuel consumed between March and July.
Combined with the earlier support scheme announced in March, the overall reduction comes to €274 per 1,000 litres.
The scheme for road transport companies would yield an average benefit of €14,000, the Government has said, announcing the supports weeks after the nationwide protests over soaring fuel prices.
Read more here.
Iran enters day 61 of its internet blackout
Iran has now been under an internet blackout for 61 days, according to a monitoring group.
An initial internet blackout was imposed amid protests in January. It was then imposed again at the start of the war with the United States and Israel.
“As the shutdown continues in its third month, Iran’s digital environment is more tightly controlled than ever with all communication channels restricted and monitored,” NetBlocks said.
Earlier this week, a government spokesperson told Iranian media that a special scheme to allow businesses to access the internet would be introduced “to preserve businesses during times of crisis”.
Israeli demolition caused minor earthquake in Lebanon
An earthquake and tsunami monitoring centre in Lebanon has shared images of ground tremors detected on its equipment on Tuesday it has said was caused by explosions in the region of Qantara.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had used a large quantity of explosives at that time to destroy two kilometres of tunnels in Qantara that it attributed to Hizbullah.
It comes as the Lebanese army announced the death of a soldier and his brother in an Israeli strike. The two were travelling by motorcycle from the soldier’s workplace to his home in the town of Khirbet Selm in southern Lebanon.
Mega profits earned by oil giant spurs political backlash in France
There are calls in France for a one-off tax on energy companies that profit from high prices after energy giant TotalEnergies posted $5.4 billion in adjusted net income on Wednesday.
The company had said earlier this month that it expected the high prices of oil caused by the Iran war to boost its income.
The company has chosen to use the windfall to buyback some of its own shares and to increase its dividend payments, measures that both benefit shareholders.
The results have become a political issue in France where the Socialist Party has launched a proposal to tax companies’ windfall profits in times of crisis.
The government appeared not to entirely rule out the idea.
“I won’t go into Total-bashing ... but in principle, no door is closed. No super-profit should be realised in France,” junior energy minister Maud Bregeon said.
German chancellor seeks to diffuse spat with Trump
Nothing to see here! German chancellor Friedrich Merz has insisted that his relationship with Donald Trump remains good after the US president slammed him on social media.
“From my perspective, my personal relationship with the US president remains good. I simply had doubts from the start about what was begun with the war in Iran. That is why I have made that clear,” Merz told reporters.
Europe is paying the price for the war, Merz added.
“In Germany and Europe we are suffering from the consequences, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This has a direct impact on our energy supply and a huge impact on our economic performance,” he said.
It comes after Trump tore into Merz on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday.
“The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage,” Trump wrote.
“No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!”
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth to be grilled by Congress
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth is to face questioning for lawmakers for the first time since the war with Iran began on Wednesday as he appears before the House Armed Services Committee.
Gen Dan Caine, who is chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, will also appear for questioning.
The appearance is nominally about scrutinising the department’s budget but is certain to involve questions over strategy in Iran, civilian casualties, and the wisdom of the US starting the war given its huge cost and the difficult of ending it.
There have been reports that the US has severely depleted stocks of key weaponry, at vast expense, that could hypothetically be needed if Russia attacked a European Nato country or if China invaded Taiwan.
Hegseth has also been under pressure over decisions to abruptly sack a series of senior defence officials without explanation.
“Questions over civilian casualties in the Iran war, as well as whether the US was properly prepared for retaliatory strikes, and broader questions over the strategic rationale for the conflict, are likely to be a key part of committee members on both sides of the aisle questioning of Hegseth,” ABC News reported.
The hearing can be watched live here.
What is Iran looking for in negotiations?
The United States is currently considering a peace proposal from Iran.
The proposal was conveyed to the United States through mediator Pakistan, where prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday described efforts for peace as “still ongoing”.
According to details leaked to the media, under the proposal Iran would charge tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is the conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil supplies in normal times.
The US would end its blockade of the Strait, which is preventing Iranian oil tankers from leaving in a bid to starve the regime of income.
Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme would be left for a later phase of talks, according to reports.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, has stated in an analysis that the proposal “offers no concessions and represents an Iranian effort to end the war on Tehran’s terms”.
“The proposal illustrates that Iran’s current decision-maker, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi, believes Iran is winning despite the serious damage Iran has suffered,” the think tank wrote.
The proposal has been received with scepticism in the White House.
One curious detail is that it isn’t clear that the US is confident about who it is negotiating with in Iran. The initial strikes by the US and Israel wiped out much of the senior Iranian leadership and the newly-appointed Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is thought to have been seriously wounded.
Europe faces risk of jet fuel rationing, industry warns
“There is a risk that we’ll see rationing of fuel supply, particularly in Asia and Europe,” Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association, told Reuters on Tuesday, while adding that supply remained robust for now.
Walsh said, however, that the situation was not yet as bad as the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which led to travel demand plummeting and hundreds of billions of dollars in losses for the aviation sector.
Airlines have largely been shielded from the 84 per cent rise in the price of jet fuel since the war began due to hedged purchases in advance.
Sweden’s Energy Minister Ebba Busch on Tuesday fired an “early warning” about potential jet fuel shortages despite good current supply, cautioning Swedes to think through travel plans.
However Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary played down concerns. “We think the risk of a supply disruption is receding,” he told Reuters, citing conversations with suppliers across Europe earlier in the week. – Reuters
Iran accuses US of ‘piracy’
Iran has accused the United States of “piracy” for seizing ships in the enforcement of its blockade on Iranian ships exiting the Strait of Hormuz, and has said it has the right “to counter these insolent actions”.
The US blockade is aimed at depriving Tehran of revenue from exports in order to pressure the Iranian regime into making concessions.
In a letter to the United Nations leadership published by Iranian state media, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani accused the US of breaching international law.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically condemns and unequivocally rejects these acts of aggression and state-sponsored piracy,” the letter reads.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has every right, in accordance with international law, to counter these insolent actions.”
The statement accuses US armed forces of boarding and seizing two commercial Iranian tankers, the M/T Majestic and M/T Tifani, “and the subsequent stealing of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian oil.”
Iran has arrested 4,000 people since outbreak of war – UN
Iran has arrested more than 4,000 people on national security charges and has executed at least 21 people since the outbreak of the war two months ago, the UN’s human rights chief has said.
At least nine people have been executed in relation to the protests that rocked Iran in January, 10 for allegations of membership in opposition groups, and two on charges of espionage according to the UN.
“I am appalled that – on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict – the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities, in harsh and brutal ways,” UN human rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement.
“I call on the authorities to halt all further executions, establish a moratorium on the use of capital punishment, fully ensure due process and fair trial guarantees, and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.”
People from religious and ethnic minority backgrounds, including Bahá’ís, Zoroastrians, Kurds, and Baluch Iranians, have been particularly at risk according to the UN.
“Many detainees have been forcibly disappeared, tortured, or subjected to other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including coerced – and sometimes televised – confessions and mock executions,” the statement said.
Among those detained is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, whose health is deteriorating after she suffered a heart attack, according to the UN.
Türk described conditions in Iranian prisons as “dire”, with denial of medical care, “severe overcrowding and acute shortages of food, water, hygiene supplies” and medicine.
Israel approves settlement deep in the Palestinian West Bank
An Israeli planning authority has approved permits for the building of 126 new housing units in a settlement deep within the occupied West Bank described by an extremist minister as “killing the idea of the Palestinian state”.
The settlement of Sa-Nur was evacuated in 2005 as part of a peace agreement that also saw Israeli forces and settlers leave Gaza.
Settlers began to return earlier this month, and cabinet ministers attended a ceremony to celebrate its re-establishment.
“We are abolishing the disgrace of expulsion, killing the idea of the Palestinian state, and returning to the settlement of Sa-Nur,” said hardline pro-settler finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.
When official planning permission was issued on Wednesday, Smotrich described the move as “just the beginning”.
The Israeli liberal advocacy group Peace Now, which supports a two-state solution, condemned the move.
“The establishment of Sa-Nur in the heart of a Palestinian population in an area without an Israeli presence is intended to sever any Palestinian contiguity and destroy even the little economic development possible for the Palestinians,” the organisation said.
“It is inconceivable that after almost three years of war, the Israeli taxpayer should finance a dangerous messianic delusion of a government that has long since lost the people’s trust. We will all pay the price for this reckless abandonment.”
Hopes high of an end to Hungary vetoes as new PM heads to Brussels
Newly-elected Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar, who unseated Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, is headed to Brussels for top-level talks.
Hopes are high among European Union leaders that the new leadership in Budapest will mean the end of years of Hungarian vetoes that continually derailed attempts to reach consensus in Brussels.
Most recently, Hungary had blocked financial support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, using its veto to secure carve outs for various oligarchs and their family members.
But the practice goes back far longer, and the dreaded Hungarian veto had been used to block files as varied as an a EU deal on migration, to water down wording about equality, and on numerous foreign policy matters.
Hungary blocked joint EU foreign policy statements as varied as the following: on Greenland when US president Donald Trump was seeking to acquire it earlier this year; on contested election results in Belarus and Venezuela; and on a decision by Russia to block access to European new sites.
Champagne corks popped in Brussels when Orbán was defeated in this month’s election by Magyar, a disaffected former member of Orbán’s Fidesz party who vowed to take on corruption and systematic cronyism.
“We want to be a country that is no one’s vassal, where achievement counts, and a country whose citizens can count on their government,” he said in his victory speech.
Observers are anxious to see how much of break Magyar will ultimately make with the Orbán era.
For EU leaders, today’s meeting in Brussels is about sussing that out. For Magyar, it’s about unlocking EU funds that were frozen due to breaches of the rule of law in Hungary.
“A huge mandate, a strong mandate, a great responsibility!” Magyar wrote on social media, saying he could meet with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and president of the European Council António Costa.
“We know our task: we will bring home the EU funds that Hungarians are entitled to.”
Lebanon accuses Israel of ceasefire violations after rescue workers killed
Israeli strikes have continued in Lebanon and Gaza despite the ceasefires in place.
Israel conducted two successive strikes on a building in the town of Majdal Zoun in Lebanon on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, the second killing three rescue workers who had gone in to help after the first strike.
Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of a “flagrant violation of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law” in a social media post.
“Targeting elements of the Civil Defence in Majdal Zoun, and their killing while carrying out their humanitarian duty, constitutes a new and described war crime perpetrated by Israel,” he wrote.
“The Government will spare no effort to condemn this heinous crime in international forums and to mobilise all efforts to compel Israel to cease its ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said they had fired a missile to intercept a “suspicious aerial target” that had triggered alarms on the Lebanese border.
Strikes have also continued in Gaza. In a social media post, the Palestinian health ministry said that five people had been killed in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll since a separate ceasefire was announced on October 11 to 823.
The Hebrew-language account of the Israel Defense Forces published a video of a strike on a car in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, saying their forces had “assassinated” a senior member of Hamas.
Trump threatens Iran in early morning social media post
It has just turned 5am in Washington, DC, and United States president Donald Trump has begun the day by posting a threatening message on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better get smart soon!” Trump wrote.
The text was published with an image of Trump holding an assault rifle in front of a town being hit by explosions, with the text “no more Mr. Nice Guy!”
Energy credits can’t ‘be ruled out’, Simon Harris says
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris has said that energy credits next winter cannot be ruled out.
“I think it would be a foolish and arrogant government that would rule out anything right now,” he told Newstalk’s Claire Byrne show.
The Tánaiste suggested that the crisis was unlikely to be resolved in the short term.
“If I thought this crisis was going to end today, tomorrow, next week, next month, of course we could have different conversations on what to do in the here and now,” Harris said. “But I have to be honest with people about the winter.”
He defended the government’s support package for the sectors impacted by fuel price rises in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East.
“It does make sense to target in the first instance the sectors that are most dependent on fuel, not just for those sectors, but actually for the broader benefit of the Irish economy, because there’s a huge, huge, huge link between the cost of fuel and the level of inflation,” he said.
The EU should use €95 billion to electrify transport, industry and heating, von der Leyen urges
Of funds allocated to energy in the current EU budget, €95 billion is still unspent and should be used to electrify the Continent, European Commission president has told the European Parliament.
Let us use this to make the switch now to electricity, not just in transport but also in industry and in heating,” Ursula von der Leyen said.
“This is not only a matter of affordability and competitiveness. This is also, as we learned in this crisis, a matter of economic security.”
She warned national governments against rolling out blanket fuel subsidies, saying supports must be targeted towards “the most vulnerable households and industries” to avoid pushing up demand for oil and gas.
Some €350 billion was spent on untargeted measures during the last crisis, with only a quarter going toward the most vulnerable, she said.
“This had a huge impact on member state finances, and it also undermined the measures to protect those most in need, so let’s not make the same mistake again and let’s focus our support where it matters most,” she said.
She has urged EU countries to co-ordinate on purchases of diesel and jet fuel to avoid competing against each other and inadvertently driving the price up higher.
Flights resume from Tehran’s main airport
International flights have resumed from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport in the Iranian capital after a shutdown of 57 days due to the war.
International flight tracking data shows that flights departed this morning and yesterday to Istanbul and Beijing.
Arrival flights are scheduled today from Dubai, Iraq, Thailand, and a number of Chinese cities. Though running on a much reduced schedule, it’s a sign of how the ceasefire is allowing some measure of normality to resume.
EU countries with more clean energy are less affected by the crisis, von der Leyen says
The surge in oil and gas prices has had an uneven effect across the European Union, punishing countries that have a heavy dependency on fossil fuels
“Member states with more low carbon sources in their energy mix are less impacted by the crisis,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told the European Parliament.
She gave the example of Sweden, where if the gas price increases by €1 per megawatt hour, the electricity price increases by only €0.04 per megawatt hour “because almost all of Sweden’s electricity comes from renewables and nuclear.”
“This is how we insulate ourselves from future shocks, and this is the path to independence for Europe,” she said.
Europe’s bill imported fossil fuel bill rose €27 billion in 60 days
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has presented a price tag for the United States and Israel’s decision to go to war with Iran to the European Parliament: €27 billion.
That’s how the European Union’s bill for importing fossil fuels rose in the 60 days since the war began.
“This is the second energy crisis within four years, and the message should be very clear. Our over-dependency on imported fossil fuels makes us vulnerable,” von der Leyen told MEPs.
“The way forward is obvious. We must reduce our overdependency on imported fossil fuels. We must boost our home-grown affordable clean energy supply, from renewables to nuclear.”
All EU member states want a lasting ceasefire and a return to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, with no tolls, she said. But things may not be returning to how they were for some time.
“There’s a harsh reality we all need to face. The consequence of this conflict may echo for months or even years to come,” von der Leyen told the parliament.
European stocks rise as earnings take centre stage
European shares ticked higher on Wednesday, after three straight sessions of declines, as investors turned their focus to a busy run of corporate earnings, while US-Iran talks remained at an impasse.
The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.2 per cent to 607.54 points shortly after 8am Irish time. European equities remain almost 5 per cent below pre-war levels, lagging US peers and global markets, which have rebounded, partly driven by gains in AI and tech stocks.
On the earnings front, Adidas advanced 8.2 per cent after the German sportswear maker reported better-than-expected first-quarter operating profit.
UBS gained 5 per cent after the Swiss bank posted first-quarter net profit above expectations despite market turbulence due to the Middle East war.
Deutsche Bank reported its largest-ever profit under chief executive Christian Sewing and upgraded its 2026 investment bank revenue outlook. However, its shares fell 2.8 per cent. – Reuters
Von der Leyen says impact of Iran war may be felt for years to come
The European Union needs to reduce its overdependency on imported fossil fuels, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said.
In a speech to EU lawmakers on Wednesday morning, von der Leyen said the bloc should focus on clean energy supply.
On the Middle East, she said the EU wants the ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon “to hold” with urgent need to “re-establish peace and stability through diplomatic means”.
But she warned: “The consequences of this conflict may echo for months or even years to come.”
She continued: “This is the second energy crisis within four years, and the lesson should be very clear. Our overdependency on imported fossil fuels makes us vulnerable ...
“We must reduce our overdependency on imported fossil fuels and boost our home-grown, affordable, clean energy supply. From renewables to nuclear, in full respect of technology neutrality.”
Von der Leyen also said the EU needs to “protect consumers and businesses” but should target “the most vulnerable households and industries only”. – The Guardian
Government to announce details of fuel support scheme
The Government is due to announce details of its fuel support scheme later today. The measures are aimed at supporting agriculture, transport and other sectors.
The scheme was drawn up in response to the fuel protests earlier this month. The €505 million package was larger than expected and involves an extension of and increase to excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien will outline more details at a press conference at Government Buildings today.
EU agri-food groups call for critical status, priority energy access amid Middle East crisis
European farming, food and retail associations on Tuesday called for the EU agri-food chain to be formally recognised as critical infrastructure, urging policymakers to grant operators priority access to energy and key inputs at affordable and competitive rates.
Middle East instability is increasing volatility in energy, logistics and input markets vital to Europe’s food production and distribution, CEJA, Copa-Cogeca, CELCAA, FoodDrinkEurope and EuroCommerce said
The groups said costs for energy, fertilisers, freight, packaging and agricultural raw materials are already rising across the value chain, risking higher grocery prices and weaker food affordability without urgent EU action.
The associations urged EU and national authorities to guarantee farmers, processors, traders, retailers and wholesalers secure and predictable access to energy and key inputs.
They said targeted, temporary and EU-co-ordinated measures may be needed for the most exposed actors. – Reuters
Heathrow airport warns Iran war will hit 2026 passenger numbers
Heathrow Airport on Wednesday said its passenger numbers for the rest of year are likely to be impacted by the Iran war, despite temporarily absorbing demand from elsewhere following airspace closures in the region.
The UK’s biggest airport reiterated an uncertain outlook for the year, but said 18.9 million passengers travelled through the west London hub in the first quarter, a 3.7 per cent increase from a year ago. – Reuters
Trump ‘rejects’ interim Hormuz deal proposed by Iran
Trump on Tuesday said Iran had asked the US to lift the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran wants the critical waterway for oil and gas shipments open “as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation”, Trump said on Truth Social. Iran has said it’s in a “State of Collapse”, he added.
Iran has signalled it may be willing to accept an interim deal to reopen the strait in exchange for Washington ending its blockade of Iranian ports, while postponing more complex negotiations over the country’s nuclear programme. It is insisting on keeping some control over shipping through the strait, which Washington is unlikely to accept.
Trump rejected that offer from Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal, and told aides it showed that Iran wasn’t negotiating in good faith. Mediators in Pakistan expect Iran will submit a revised proposal to end the war in the next few days, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing sources close to the mediation process. – Bloomberg
Oil prices rise to about $111 a barrel
Oil was steady as investors focused on the next steps for peace talks over the Iran war, with the near-closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz prolonging disruptions that have upended global markets.
Brent traded near $111 (€94.90) a barrel after rising 2.8 per cent on Tuesday, and West Texas Intermediate was above $99 (€84.60).
US president Donald Trump said Iran has asked the US to lift a naval blockade of the strait while the two sides negotiate an end to hostilities that have choked off energy supplies from the Middle East. – Reuters
King Charles stresses importance of Nato
Britain’s King Charles has extolled the importance of UK’s “special relationship” with the US in a speech to Congress that made pointed reference to the importance of Nato, the defence of Ukraine and the climate crisis.
“From the depths of the Atlantic to the disastrously melting ice-caps of the Arctic, the commitment and expertise of the United States armed forces and its allies lie at the heart of Nato, pledged to each other’s defence, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries,” he said.
In a speech that will be read as a veiled plea to Donald Trump to return to the US’s traditional European alliances and restore his country’s role as a defender of liberal values, Charles said: “America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more.”
Charles’s appearance before the joint session of Congress – the first such royal address in 35 years – was billed as the centrepiece of his four-day state visit to the United States. – The Guardian
Trump tells aides to prep for lengthy Hormuz blockade
US president Donald Trump told his aides to prepare for an extended US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported, as the US looks to intensify economic pressure on Iran as the war enters its third month.
The US president, in meetings with top aides, decided to continue putting pressure on Iran’s ability to export oil by stopping any vessel heading to or from the Islamic Republic’s ports, the newspaper reported on Tuesday night. Trump determined that was a less risky option than resuming bombing or extracting the US from the conflict entirely, the outlet said.
The decision suggests that the US could be moving into a lengthy period with the fighting largely halted, but no durable resolution to the conflict, and the status of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still uncertain.
The US has been blocking ships going to and from Iranian ports to try to squeeze the country of oil revenue, while Iran keeps the strait closed to almost all other traffic. – The New York Times
European airlines facing biggest challenge since pandemic
European airlines are facing their biggest challenge since the Covid-19 pandemic as the Iran war pushes up jet fuel prices and buffets travel through the Middle East, casting a shadow over the summer holiday season.
Carriers have been largely riding out the crisis with hedges that have tamed costs even as the price of jet fuel has risen nearly 84 per cent since the start of the conflict on February 28th, but they could face shortages if the war does not end soon.
“There is a risk that we’ll see rationing of fuel supply, particularly in Asia and Europe,” Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association, told Reuters on Tuesday, while adding that supply remained robust for now.
Irishman Walsh said, however, that the situation was not yet as bad as the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which led to travel demand plummeting and hundreds of billions of dollars in losses for the aviation sector.
“I think Covid was on a completely different scale,” Walsh added. “What we’re seeing here is, in effect, a cost issue for the airlines. The underlying demand for aviation remains robust, and that’s a positive.” – Reuters
Trump says Charles agrees Iran should not have nuclear weapons
Good morning. We’ll be bringing you the latest updates on the conflict in the Middle East throughout the day.
First up, here’s a round-up of what happened at the state dinner between the Trumps and the Mountbatten-Windsors last night.
US president Donald Trump insisted that Britain’s king Charles III agrees with him that Iran should never be allowed nuclear weapons.
Trump made the remarks at the White House event on Tuesday night, saying he had “militarily defeated that particular opponent”.
Trump in his toast at the grand event in honour of Charles and queen Camilla said: “We’re doing a little Middle East work right now ... and we’re doing very well.
“We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever, Charles agrees with me even more than I do, we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.
“They know that, and they’ve known it right now, very powerfully.”
Charles told the dinner guests, who included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and golfer Rory McIlroy: “And yes, we have had our moments of difficulty even in more recent history.
“When my mother visited in 1957, not the least of her tasks was to help put the ‘special’ back into our relationship after a crisis in the Middle East.”
Some of the guests laughed when Charles said: “Nearly 70 years on, it is hard to imagine anything like that happening today.” – PA
