Iran war will be over pretty soon, predicts Trump

US President Donald Trump has predicted that the war in Iran will be over quickly, as he seeks a deal to end the stalemate over the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“When you look at the kind of things that are happening, we are doing that for one very important reason: We cannot allow them to have a nuclear weapon. So, I think most people understand that. They understand that what we are doing is right, and it’ll be over quickly,” Trump told a tele-rally for Georgia Republican governor candidate Burt Jones.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump said he believed a deal with Iran was "very possible" but threatened to again bomb the country if negotiations fell apart.

Despite Trump's optimism, Iran has yet to respond to a new US proposal, with its chief negotiator warning that Washington was seeking to force the Islamic republic's "surrender".

Positive signs that the foes could return to the table after weeks of deadlock grew after Trump halted a short-lived military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, citing hopes for a deal.

Trump said Wednesday if "Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to," the war would be over, but if not, the bombing would resume "at a much higher level and intensity."

"We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it's very possible that we'll make a deal," Trump later told reporters.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told local media that the "US plan and proposal are still under review," and that Tehran would communicate its position to mediator Pakistan "after finalizing its views."

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker who has taken the lead in negotiations, meanwhile warned that Washington "is seeking, through a naval blockade, economic pressure and media manipulation, to destroy the country's cohesion in order to force us to surrender."

- 'Durable peace' -

The US military said one of its warplanes fired on and disabled the rudder of an oil tanker Wednesday that tried to break Washington's blockade of Iranian ports.

Trump had said the day before that the US blockade would remain in place as Tehran kept up its own chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. But citing progress toward a deal, he said a new effort to reopen the vital trade route "will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key figure in initial talks in Islamabad last month, held out hope for a deal. "We are very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond," he said on X.

US news outlet Axios, citing two US officials, reported that both sides were close to agreement on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.

Speaking to PBS, Trump insisted Iran would hand over its enriched uranium to the United States, without explaining how this key point of contention would be resolved.

- Elite Hezbollah force -

On the war's Lebanese front, Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs Wednesday -- the first on the area in nearly a month.

The attack killed a senior Hezbollah commander from the group's elite force, a source close to the Iran-backed group told AFP.

At least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir meanwhile visited troops in southern Lebanon, vowing to "seize every opportunity to deepen the dismantling of Hezbollah."

- Nikkei rises sharply, oil stable -

Tokyo's Nikkei index was up 5.7 percent at 62,915.87 at lunch break, fuelled by growing optimism the Iran war is close to ending.

Oil prices were flat with West Texas Intermediate at $95.08 a barrel and Brent Crude at $101.32 a barrel, having fallen around 10 percent over the previous two days.

It followed a rally from the US stock markets. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq, two of the major US stock indices, finished at records for the second consecutive day.

- Iran denies striking South Korean ship -

Iran denied that it was behind an explosion that damaged a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz this week.

Tehran's embassy in Seoul said Thursday it "firmly rejects and categorically denies any allegations regarding the involvement of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the incident involving damage to a Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz".

- Hezbollah commander killed -

A senior commander from Hezbollah's elite force was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, a source close to the group said.

At least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

- Ship violating Iran port blockade disabled -

A US Navy warplane fired on and disabled the rudder of an oil tanker that tried to break Washington's blockade of Iranian ports, the US military said on Wednesday.

US forces warned the Iranian-flagged ship that it was in violation of the blockade but its crew "failed to comply," so a US F/A-18 Super Hornet "disabled the tanker's rudder by firing several rounds from (its) 20mm cannon gun," Central Command said in a post on X.

- Macron calls UAE strikes 'unjustified' -

France's President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday that attacks on Emirati civilian infrastructure and ships near the Strait of Hormuz were "unjustified".

"I expressed my deep concern about the ongoing escalation and condemned the unjustified strikes against Emirati civilian infrastructure and several ships," Macron said on X after the discussion.

- French aircraft carrier heads for Gulf -

France's aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle was on Wednesday heading towards the southern Red Sea to pre‑position for a possible mission to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the presidency said.

Its redeployment sends "a signal that not only are we ready to secure the Strait of Hormuz but that we are also capable of doing so," the presidency added.

- Israel vows to 'dismantle' Hezbollah' -

Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir vowed to dismantle Hezbollah and said the military was prepared to launch a new offensive against Iran if needed. "We will seize every opportunity to deepen the dismantling of Hezbollah and continue weakening it," Zamir said while visiting soldiers near the Lebanese town of Khiam.–Agencies