LiveTrump to give Iran war update in White House address
09:05
Trump is addressing the nation at the White House
Watch it live at the top of this page as we bring you the key updates from his speech.
08:50
Oil prices drop on hopes of US pullback from Iran war
Oil prices fell more than US$1 early on Thursday as markets awaited an address to the nation by US President Donald Trump that could signal a US pullback from the war in Iran.
Brent crude futures fell US$1.16, or 1.15 per cent, to US$100 per barrel by 12.04pm GMT (8.04 pm Singapore time). US West Texas Intermediate crude futures slipped US$1.41, or 1.41 per cent, to US$98.71 per barrel. Both benchmarks settled lower in the previous session.
“The overnight sell-off gathered pace on mounting hopes that the Iran conflict could finally be winding down,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.
“The market is widely expecting a decidedly dovish tone.”
08:40
Can Trump pull the US out of NATO?
US President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to pull the United States out of NATO due to its European members’ refusal to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, as he intensified his denunciations of the military alliance.
Experts say it is not clear whether Mr Trump could act unilaterally to leave the 77-year-old trans-Atlantic coalition, even though he frequently makes major decisions without congressional approval, some of which are held up by US courts.
In 2023, Congress passed, and then-president Joe Biden signed into law, legislation barring any US president from suspending, terminating, denouncing or withdrawing the US from the treaty that established NATO unless the withdrawal is backed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
If the issue ends up in the courts, the challenge to Mr Trump’s decision would face steep hurdles. However, to date, no NATO member has ever rescinded its membership.
PHOTO: REUTERS
08:30
Britain to host multi-nation meeting on Strait of Hormuz shipping
Britain will on Thursday hold a virtual meeting of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz which has been crippled by the Middle East war.
The meeting will “assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities”, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
“Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped,” he added.
The discussions will include countries who recently signed a statement saying they were ready “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”, said Mr Starmer. These include Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands.
08:00
Messy outcome of Iran war the most important lesson for S’poreans: Ex-diplomat Bilahari Kausikan
The war with Iran raises two questions: whether it was necessary and how it would end, says former diplomat Bilahari Kausikan in an Opinion piece for The Straits Times.
Nuclear weapons are not just any kind of weapon. Their destructive power is so great that any risk that a country will use them to destroy or intimidate its rivals, however slight, is unacceptable, he says.
All US administrations across both parties have been consistent in ensuring Iran does not gain possession, he adds, with the only debates being over how best to prevent Iran from doing so.
Was war the only way of stopping Iran? The record of diplomacy on the Iranian nuclear issue is not encouraging. That Iran had managed to acquire a large stockpile of highly enriched uranium shows Tehran had bamboozled the International Atomic Energy Agency, he says.
Some have argued that since North Korea has nuclear weapons, why couldn’t Iran? But there is no equivalence because Pyongyang’s primary objective is regime survival, not expansion or elimination of another state, so it can be rationally deterred, he argues. Iran also poses a global threat in sponsoring terrorism around the world.
How the war ends is less easy to answer. A negotiated end is unlikely. The US demand that Iran end all enrichment is unacceptable to Tehran as this will essentially leave Iran unable to deter future attacks.
The Iranian demand that its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz be recognised is unacceptable not just to the US but to the world because it leaves the world economy hostage to Tehran’s whims.
The messy outcome of this Iran war is the single most important lesson Singaporeans should take away, International relations are not sporting events with clear outcomes. Few issues lend themselves to neat solutions. The choices are usually not between good options and bad options, but between bad and worse options, he concludes.
PHOTO: EPA
07:45
Iranians vow to ‘resist until the end’ at Guards naval chief’s funeral
Thousands of Iranians gathered on Wednesday in Tehran for the funeral of the Revolutionary Guards’ naval commander Alireza Tangsiri, killed in an Israeli strike, with mourners vowing to fight to the end despite tough talk from Washington.
The procession took place on the 47th anniversary of the Islamic republic and this year, the public holiday carried particular weight, as Tehran fights for survival under relentless US-Israeli bombardment since Feb 28.
“This war has lasted a month. However long it takes, we will continue,” said 57-year-old Moussa Nowruzi, a pensioner. “We will resist until the end.”
“Revenge,” read one sign held high by a young boy, while other attendees unfurled massive Iranian flags as government supporters filled the symbolic Enghelab Square – named for the Islamic revolution – in the heart of the capital.
PHOTO: ARASH KHAMOOSHI/NYTIMES
07:01
Trump to address nation as Iran war batters approval
US President Donald Trump will deliver a prime-time address to Americans on the Iran war in the face of plunging approval ratings, economic jitters and spiralling diplomatic fallout.
The remarks at 9pm on Wednesday (9am on Thursday, Singapore time) will be his first formal national speech on Iran from the White House since launching the war a month ago.
He is expected to try and reassure the nation that US goals are being met and that he has a plan for completing the war, which has roiled the US economy and helped drive the 79-year-old Republican’s polls into deeply negative territory.
Earlier on Wednesday, he claimed a major breakthrough, saying Iran’s president was seeking a ceasefire. This was swiftly denied by Iran’s foreign ministry. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/tehran-denies-trumps-claims-that-iran-president-requests-ceasefire
Mr Trump has said he can see the war winding down within three weeks, repeatedly insisting that main objectives have been all but met.
Watch Mr Trump’s address live at the top of this page from 9am.
PHOTO: AFP
06:30
Iran president asks US people if Mid-East war puts ‘America First’
Iran’s president asked the people of the United States if the Middle East conflict was truly putting “America First”, accusing the US of war crimes and being influenced by Israel.
“Attacking Iran’s vital infrastructure – including energy and industrial facilities – directly targets the Iranian people,” Mr Pezeshkian said in an open letter, published to his website on April 1.
“Beyond constituting a war crime, such actions carry consequences that extend far beyond Iran’s borders.”
They sow “instability, increase human and economic costs”, and plant “seeds of resentment that will endure for years”, he continued.
“Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?“
READ HERE: Full text of Iranian President’s letter to Americans
PHOTO: AFP
06:15
Tehran denies Trump’s claim that Iran president requests ceasefire
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran’s president had asked for a ceasefire but insisted that the Islamic republic must first reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ahead of a national address expected to touch on the state of the war.
Tehran flatly denied that President Masoud Pezeshkian had sought a truce with Washington, and announced on the evening of April 1 another barrage of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases in the Gulf.
The United States will consider a ceasefire “when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
But foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected Mr Trump’s assertion that he had asked for a ceasefire, calling it “false and baseless”.
06:00
The situation so far
The United States will end its war on Iran fairly soon and could return for “spot hits” if needed, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, hours before he was scheduled to make a prime-time address to the nation.
Mr Trump also said he would announce in the speech, which is slated for 9pm EDT (9am on Thursday Singapore time), that he was considering withdrawing the US from the NATO alliance over what he sees as its failure to support the US in the war.
Meanwhile, Iran has denied Mr Trump’s assertion that Tehran had asked for a ceasefire, calling it "false and baseless".
Here are the other latest developments:
- UK convenes Hormuz meeting
Britain will on Thursday hold a virtual a meeting of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz. - Iran funeral
Thousands of Iranians gathered in Tehran for the funeral of the Revolutionary Guards’ naval commander, Alireza Tangsiri, killed in an Israeli strike. - Israel kills Hezbollah commander
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander, two sources told AFP, in a Beirut strike that Lebanon’s health ministry said killed seven people. - UN warns of crackdown
Iran and countries across the Middle East are using the war as an excuse to clamp down on rights, the UN warned on Wednesday, denouncing attempts to restrict the press in Israel and the United States. - Stocks rally, oil drops
Global stocks rallied and oil prices fell after Mr Trump said the Middle East war could be over within weeks.
