Trump says war 'close to over’ as US halts Iran's maritime trade

The killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several top military commanders in US-Israeli strikes would be avenged, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Wednesday.

“This revenge will be carried out at an appropriate time and place, with careful planning, and our enemies should expect to pay a heavy price for their actions,” said Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of parliament.

He added that uranium enrichment was solely for “peaceful purposes,” calling it Iran’s “absolute right and a clear red line,” that remains non-negotiable.

The MP also said the Islamic Republic would continue to stand with allied forces in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

The locations monitored were in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain and Djibouti, and included US military bases as well as some infrastructure, the report said.

The satellite, known as TEE-01B, was acquired by the aerospace force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in late 2024 after it was launched from China.

“This satellite is clearly being used for military purposes, as it is being run by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force and not Iran’s civilian space program,” Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Iran at Sciences Po university, told the Financial Times.

Time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis showed Iranian commanders used the satellite to monitor key US military sites. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations.

“Iran really needs this foreign-provided capability during this war, as it allows the IRGC to identify targets ahead of time and check the success of its strikes,” Grajewski added.

The report said the satellite took images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, among other locations, on March 13, 14 and 15, and on March 14, US President Donald Trump said US aircraft at the base had been hit, with five Air Force refueling planes damaged.

China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday rejected the report as untrue.

“Recently, some forces have fabricated rumors and sought to link them to China,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

“China firmly opposes such practices driven by ulterior motives,” it added.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was not considering extending the ceasefire with Iran because he did not think it would be necessary.

“I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” Trump was quoted as saying by an ABC News journalist.

Asked whether the war would end with a deal or with Iran’s capabilities having been destroyed, Trump said either outcome was possible but that an agreement would be better.

“It could end either way, but I think a deal is preferable because then they can rebuild,” he said.

The US president also said Iran now had a different leadership and the radicals were gone.

“If I weren’t president, the world would be torn to pieces,” he said.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that NATO had not supported the United States in the past and would not do so in the future.

“NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Pope Leo should be told Iran had killed at least 42,000 unarmed protesters recently and that Tehran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb.

Trump made the remarks in a post on Truth Social as his public clash with the pope over the Iran war continued.

“Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” Trump wrote.

The post came after Pope Leo criticized the war and called for peace, drawing criticism from Trump.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday it was “highly probable” that talks to end the Iran war would resume, as Donald Trump signaled negotiations could restart in Pakistan within days.

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations, Guterres said the organization had indications that diplomacy would soon pick up again, stressing the importance of sustaining momentum toward a political solution.

Guterres said he met Pakistan’s deputy prime minister on Tuesday and praised Islamabad’s efforts to facilitate dialogue, calling continued negotiations essential.

“It would be unrealistic to expect such a complex, long-lasting problem to be resolved in a first session,” he said, adding that talks must continue alongside a sustained ceasefire.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday that the length of any moratorium on Iran’s uranium enrichment under negotiations with the United States is ultimately a political decision, Reuters reported.

Blockade halted all sea trade to/from Iran in under 36 hours. 90% of Iran’s economy relies on maritime trade, CENTCOM commander posted on X on Tuesday.

"A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the middle east. An estimated 90% of Iranians economy is fueled by International trade by sea. In less that 36 hours, since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran buy sea, "Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander said.

The US military said on Tuesday that its forces completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.