Trump tells aides to prepare for extended blockade of Iran, WSJ reports
US President Donald Trump has instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. officials.
In recent meetings, Trump opted to continue squeezing Iran’s economy and oil exports by preventing shipping to and from its ports, the report said, adding that he believed that his other options, including resuming bombing or walking away from the conflict, carried more risk than maintaining the blockade.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Here’s the latest
Good morning! If you’re just tuning in to catch the biggest headlines from the last 24 hours, here’s everything you missed:
UAE’s OPEC pull-out
The United Arab Emirates will withdraw from the OPEC and OPEC+ oil cartels to focus on “national interests”, in a bombshell announcement as energy prices soar over the Middle East war.
Gulf leaders meet in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia welcomed leaders and officials to Jeddah from across the Gulf to discuss the ongoing crisis in the region.
US lawmakers to grill Pentagon chief on Iran war
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will face tough questions from lawmakers about the Iran war on Wednesday during his first testimony to Congress since the start of the conflict.
Trump says US ‘militarily defeated’ Iran
Trump told Britain’s King Charles III and other guests at a state dinner that Iran has been “militarily defeated”, in his first public comments on the sensitive topic during the ongoing royal visit.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill eight: health ministry
The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes Tuesday killed eight people, including civil defence rescuers, and wounded two soldiers in the country’s south, despite an ongoing ceasefire.
Oil jumps
Oil prices jumped on reports that US President Donald Trump was unlikely to accept an Iranian proposal to restore traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and Qatar warned of a possible “frozen conflict”.
King Charles urges Western unity
In an address to the US Congress, King Charles III urged the United States to stand firm with its Western allies, noting that the meeting in Washington came “in times of great uncertainty”.
Israel says destroyed militant tunnels
The Israeli military said it found and destroyed a large Hezbollah-builttunnel network used by elite fighters, as it ordered a wave of new evacuations from Lebanon’s south.
US Marines board ship believed bound for Iran port
US troops boarded, searched, and later released the M/V Blue Star III, which the US suspected of trying to violate its blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump says US has ‘militarily defeated’ Iran
US President Donald Trump told Britain’s King Charles III and other guests at a state dinner that Iran has been “militarily defeated,” in his first public comments on the sensitive topic during the ongoing royal visit.
“We have militarily defeated that particular opponent,” Trump said at the White House dinner, adding: “Charles agrees with me even more than I do — we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.”
Source: Khaleej Times

