United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Iran’s “new regime president” has asked the US for a ceasefire.

Posting on social media, Trump described the Iranian president as “much less radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors”. However, he said the US would consider the request only once the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear”.

It was unclear what Trump meant by “new regime president”, as Masoud Pezeshkian has held the office since July 2024.

Trump warned that until that happens, the US would continue military action against Iran. “We are blasting Iran into oblivion, or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages,” he said.

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Here are more top updates from the conflict in West Asia:

  • Shortly after Trump’s social media post, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps asserted that the Strait of Hormuz is “firmly and dominantly” under its control and “will not be opened to the enemies of this nation by the ridiculous displays of the US President”, Al Jazeera reported. A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry said that the US president’s claim about Tehran seeking a ceasefire was false and baseless, according to Reuters.
  • Trump had said a day earlier that the US will stop attacking Iran in two or three weeks, and that a deal was not necessary to end the conflict in West Asia. “We’ll be leaving very soon,” he told reporters at the White House. The US president’s comment came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated to Al Jazeera that no talks were taking place with Washington despite messages being exchanged.
  • On Wednesday, Trump told British newspaper The Telegraph that he was strongly considering pulling his country out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. When asked if he might end US membership in the alliance after the West Asia war, Trump said: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows that too, by the way.”
  • However, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed not to bow to “pressure” to join the war in West Asia, the Independent reported. Commenting on Trump’s NATO statement, Starmer said: “Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I make. And that’s why I’ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war.”
  • Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Tuesday that it will target US companies and not just military bases in West Asia from Wednesday if more Iranian leaders were killed. The list of 18 firms published by the Iranian paramilitary unit included Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, Nvidia and Boeing.
  • Major Asian stock indices closed higher on Wednesday, surging after Trump’s Tuesday statement hinting at an end to the conflict. Indian benchmark Sensex ended up more than 1,100 points, or 1.6%, while the Nifty gained nearly 350 points, or over 1.5%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose more than 2%, South Korea’s Kospi climbed 8.4%, Japan’s Nikkei advanced 5.2%, and China’s Shanghai Composite closed up by 1.46%.
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said that the US depends “very little” on the Strait of Hormuz and that other countries should be “stepping up” to ensure the unobstructed passage of energy exports, The Guardian reported.
  • “We depend very little on the strait,” he said. “So if, in fact, Iran decides to set up a toll, if, in fact, Iran decides that they’re going to illegally control the Strait of Hormuz or decide they’re going to try to do that, look, I imagine that’ll be the president’s call – whether he wants to help.”
  • “But this is a problem for the world,” Rubio was quoted as saying. “It is countries around the world [that] should be stepping up and dealing with that and saying that’s intolerable – and that’s what we’ve encouraged them to do.”
  • The benchmark Brent crude fell to $105 per barrel on Wednesday from what was about $115 a day earlier. The price was $78 per barrel on February 27, a day before the conflict started.
  • China and Pakistan on Tuesday called for an immediate end to hostilities and “utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading”. They urged countries involved in the conflict in West Asia to start peace talks, adding that territorial integrity must be protected. Beijing and Islamabad also called on the parties to stop attacks on civilians and non-military targets, and important infrastructure such as energy and desalination facilities, and nuclear power plants.
  • The two countries called on all sides to protect the ships and crew stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, “allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the strait as soon as possible”. The statement came after the Pakistani foreign minister visited Beijing.
  • The European Commission on Tuesday urged the public to work from home, drive less and take fewer flights, warning of a prolonged energy crisis, Politico reported. Dan Jørgensen, the European Union’s energy chief, said that the continent was facing a “very serious situation” with no clear end to the crisis in sight.
  • More than two lakh persons fled to Syria in March following the Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Tuesday. Nearly 1.8 lakh of them are Syrians, including Syrian refugees, who have now fled again (including Syrians who considered returning home), the UN agency said. More than 28,000 Lebanese have crossed into Syria, fleeing the “intense Israeli bombardment”, it added.

The conflict

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran has retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region and targeting major cities in Gulf countries.

Tehran has also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, for most international commercial vessels, triggering a global energy crisis. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.

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Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance. Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

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