LIVE | Trump postpones 'destruction of power plants' in Iran for 10 days: Talks 'are going well'

Oil prices ended higher on Thursday amid continued hostilities and government promises that negotiations are on track.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) barrel for May delivery closed up 4.61% at $94.48. North Sea Brent for the same month rebounded 5.66% in the session, to end at $108.01 per barrel, and even brushed $110 per barrel for the first time since its drop on Monday.

​Two days shy of a month old, Operation Epic Fury hit more than 10,000 Iranian targets, CentCom reported. As negotiations continue, the Administration assured that it would continue to strike Iran as part of its strategy to force the regime to the table.

"If you combine what we've accomplished with the success of our Israeli ally, together we have struck thousands more," assured Commander Brad Cooper of Central Command, in charge of operations in the region.

A day after revealing that Tehran had given a "gift" to Washington as a token of goodwill in the negotiations, the president revealed that it was a one-off permit to move through the Strait of Hormuz.

With Iran as one of its coasts, 20% of the world's oil flows through the strait. The Iranian regime's military strategy includes disrupting navigation through the narrow sea passage with the aim of raising the price of energy to raise the economic and diplomatic cost of the war for the White House.

The Iranian present, Trump revealed, was to allow eight oil tankers to pass through the strait. The president assured that the permission to circulate shows "we're dealing with the right people."

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that taking control of Iran's oil was an "option," comparing it to the deal Washington made with Venezuela after toppling Nicolás Maduro.

"It's an option," Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting when asked if he was looking to take control of Iran's oil, saying that the United States had done "very well" with Venezuela's reserves.

Iran officially replied "through intermediaries" to a 15-point U.S. proposal to end the war that was sent to it by Pakistan, the mediating country, and is now "waiting for the other side," Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported Thursday citing an unidentified source.

E.U. diplomatic chief Kaja Kallas accused Russia of providing intelligence to Iran to "kill Americans" in the Middle East.

Israeli air strikes in Lebanon killed at least five people Thursday.

The Israeli military also announced the death "in combat" of a soldier in southern Lebanon, the scene of clashes with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement.

This Shiite group boycotted a government meeting because of its decision to expel the Iranian ambassador.

Gulf countries said that they wanted to be involved in any talks between the United States and Iran.

"We emphasize the necessity of involving the GCC countries in any talks or agreements to resolve this crisis, in a way that contributes to strengthening their security and stability," Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem al-Budaiwi said in a televised speech, adding that Iran had been asking vessels to pay sums of money to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

"NATO nations have done absolutely nothing to help with the lunatic nation, now militarily decimated, of Iran," U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

"The USA needs nothing from NATO."

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran "better get serious soon" in U.S. talks to end the Middle East war.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that indirect negotiations were being held to end the war in Iran.

"In reality, U.S.-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan," he wrote on X.

"In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran. Brotherly countries of Turkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative."

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told AFP in an interview that she had spoken to all affected countries in the region and all G7 members "to ensure that we all collectively advocate for de-escalation, for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and a way forward for the Iranian people without loss of life."

Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that an Israeli airstrike had killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard navy, along with other senior navy officers.

The Guard did not comment on the matter.

The South Korean government announced that it plans to implement a $17 billion wartime supplemental budget and extend fuel tax cuts to counter rising energy prices, in the latest example of how war has impacted countries around the world.

The Israeli military reported that one soldier was killed in fighting against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.

Two people were killed and three injured by falling debris after aircraft defenses intercepted a ballistic missile on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, as reported by the government press office and picked up by AFP.

Missile attacks originating from Iran left six people with minor injuries in Israel, according to medical officials.

The Israeli military reported that its forces had carried out a series of attacks throughout Iran, including in the central city of Isfahan.

​G7 foreign ministers will meet starting Thursday on the outskirts of Paris, with the aim of helping European nations and their allies bridge their differences with the United States over the war in the Middle East.

The Israeli military reported on Thursday that it was responding to Iranian missile attacks that, according to emergency services, left six people with minor injuries and caused some damage.

Before that, warning sirens were activated in the center of the country, in some areas of Jerusalem and in the occupied West Bank.

The United Arab Emirates reported Thursday that it was repelling drone and missile attacks from Iran.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also reported new attacks.

The Israeli military claimed to have carried out "a series of large-scale attacks on Iranian terrorist regime infrastructure in several locations across the country" on Thursday, the 27th day of the war in the Middle East.

Iran's Fars news agency said on Telegram that two residential areas in the central city of Isfahan had been hit.

U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated Wednesday night that Iran wants a deal, but that Iranian leaders charged with negotiating with Washington fear being assassinated.

"They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly. But they're afraid to say it, because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," Trump told a dinner for Republican members of Congress.

Kuwait's Interior Ministry announced the arrest of six people linked to the pro-Iranian Lebanese Hezbollah movement, accused of plotting "assassinations" in the emirate.

The United States and Iran are still engaged in peace talks, the White House said, despite Iranian state media saying Tehran had rejected Washington's plan to end the war.

"Talks continue. They are productive," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about the Iranian report, adding that there were "elements of truth" to media reports on the details of a 15-point US plan setting out demands on Tehran.

Tehran rejected, according to state television, the 15-point U.S. plan aimed at ending the war, a document that had been passed to it by Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator.

Iran's ambassador to Islamabad said there has been no discussion between Washington and Tehran to reach peace.
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