LIVE | Trump warns Iran ‘they better get smart soon!’ and reach a deal
Oil continues to rise as no peaceful solution is in sight in the near term.
An F35 flies next to a KC-135 Statotanker during Operation Epic Fury.
Donald Trump warned the Iranian regime that they "better get smart soon!" and reach an agreement while the truce is still in effect. The president made these statements in a Truth Social post, which features an artificially created image of him wearing dark glasses, holding a rifle and the message, "No more Mr. Nice Guy."
On the other major front of the war, Lebanon announced the death of two people, one of them a soldier, as a result of retaliatory attacks by Israel for Hezbollah's ceasefire violations.
On the economic front, oil prices continued their upward trend, currently above $100 a barrel.
Trump warns Iran that they "better get smart soon!" and reach a deal
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Iran to "get smart" in the face of stalled negotiations to end two months of war, the main stumbling block of which is Tehran's thorny nuclear program.
"Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!" wrote Trump on Truth Social, next to an artificially created image in which he appears with dark glasses, a rifle and the message, "No more Mr. Nice Guy."
According to press reports, the president is skeptical of a recent proposal by Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for the transit of hydrocarbons.
Oil prices regain pre-ceasefire levels
Oil prices maintained their uptrend on Wednesday, to regain their pre-ceasefire levels.
The price of a barrel of Brent North Sea crude, the global benchmark, advanced 2.95% to $115.1, while its U.S. equivalent, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), was up 3.48% at $103.41.
Hegseth to appear before Congress to talk about the war
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will speak before Congress Wednesday for the first time since the start of the war on Feb. 28.
Hegseth, much criticized by the Democratic opposition for the scant information provided to them, will answer questions from members of the House Armed Services Committee alongside Dan Caine, the head of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Two killed in Lebanon
A soldier and his brother were killed in southern Lebanon in a new Israeli attack in retaliation for repeated Hezbollah ceasefire violations Wednesday, the Lebanese army said.
At least 21 people executed and 4,000 detained in Iran since the start of the war
A total of 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 detained in Iran for political or national security reasons since the start of the war in the Middle East on Feb. 28, the United Nations said Wednesday.
After Israeli and U.S. strikes against Iran triggered the conflict, "at least nine people have been executed in connection with demonstrations in January2026, ten for alleged membership in opposition groups and two for espionage," the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights announced.
TotalEnergies reopens refinery in Saudi Arabia
TotalEnergies also announced Wednesday that in mid-April it resumed activity at the Satorp refinery in Saudi Arabia, after the facility, which it owns with local group Aramco, was shut down due to damage sustained in an airstrike days earlier.
"The refinery has been operating at a capacity of 230,000 barrels per day since April 14," the company specified.
Iranian currency at record lows
The Iranian rial stood on Wednesday at its lowest level against the dollar since the establishment of the Islamic republic in 1979, according to several exchange rate tracking platforms.
One dollar was trading, according to the informal exchange rate, at 1.80 million rials. The euro was in turn trading at 2.10 million rials, according to the Bonbast and AlanChand platforms.
Trump tells King Charles he "militarily defeated" Iran
The U.S. president claimed on Tuesday that Iran has been "militarily defeated," during a gala dinner with British King Charles III and other guests.
"We have militarily defeated this particular adversary," the Republican president said at the banquet hosted at the White House. "Charles agrees with me, even more than I do myself."
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