Donald Trump declared the US conflict with Iran is 'close to over,' adding that Tehran would require 20 years to rebuild its capabilities if Washington withdraws now. The statement signals Trump's view that current US military and diplomatic pressure has materially degraded Iran's position, though the administration offered no specific timeline or defined endpoint for disengagement. The framing sets an expectation of near-term de-escalation, which markets and regional actors will parse for shifts in sanctions posture, oil supply risk, and military footprint across the Middle East. Whether the claim reflects active back-channel negotiations or is a unilateral pressure signal remains unclear from available information. Investors and operators exposed to Gulf energy infrastructure, Iranian sanctions compliance, and regional defense contracts should watch for follow-on statements from the State Department or Pentagon that would either confirm a diplomatic track or reframe the assertion as rhetorical positioning.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed at least 164 people and injured 971, interim president Delcy Rodriguez confirmed Thursday. The quakes are the country's strongest since 1900, collapsing buildings across Caracas and prompting a state of emergency, with the death toll expected to rise as
