Iran-US war latest: Tehran threatens ‘many more surprises’ as Vance says US military ready to resume strikes

Two Chinese tankers laden with oil exited the Strait of Hormuz this morning, shipping data showed, brightening hopes that the US-Israeli conflict with Iran may soon be resolved.

The Chinese ships, among a handful of supertankers carrying Iraqi crude, exiting the Gulf this month, passed through the narrow strait carrying around 4 million barrels of crude, according to data from LSEG and Kpler.

Oil prices eased on the positive ‌signals from the White House and in the Gulf, with Brent crude falling to as low as $110.16 ‌a barrel, before regaining much of its losses.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that Tehran has gained military knowledge from previous attacks and a renewed war will “feature many more surprises”.

“Months after initiation of war on Iran, US Congress acknowledges loss of dozens of aircraft worth billions,” he said, referring to the downing of an American F-35 fighter jet.

“With lessons learned and knowledge we gained, return to war will feature many more surprises,” he added.

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck near Southern Iran this morning, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

The quake was at a depth of 14km, EMSC said.

The quake struck parts of ​Hormozgan ⁠province and ‌was felt by residents of Qeshm and Hormoz cities, ‌as well as in ‌rural areas in Bandar Abbas. Fars news said the epicentre ⁠was near Bandar Laft at a depth of 20km.

The director general of crisis management at the Hormozgan governorate told Iranian media that ‌no damage had been ​reported so far from ‌the earthquake, ⁠but assessments were ongoing.

‘Oil prices ​eased today after president Donald Trump again asserted the war with Iran will end “very quickly”, ‌though investors remain wary about the outcome of peace talks amid continued disruptions to Middle East supply from the conflict.

Brent crude oil futures fell 45 cents, or 0.4 per cent, to $110.83 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were down 27 cents, ​or 0.3 per cent, to $103.88.

A growing number of Republicans defied president Donald Trump as the Senate advanced legislation seeking to compel his administration to withdraw from the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Since President Trump ordered an attack on Iran at the end of February, Democrats have repeatedly forced votes on war powers resolutions. These measures would require him to either gain congressional approval for the military engagement or withdraw troops. Republicans had previously managed to block such proposals.

However, a crucial shift occurred when Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, fresh from a primary election loss in which President Trump endorsed his opponent, switched his vote.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister has claimed that Moscow was ready to help out with talks between the US and Iran over their ongoing conflict.

“Russia is ⁠ready to provide all possible assistance in resolving this conflict, and the ‌parties involved ​are ‌well aware of ⁠this,” Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by TASS as saying.

President Donald Trump has expressed his hopes that the Iran conflict will not continue but said that the US may have to order “another big hit” on the Islamic Republic.

The US president said he was “an hour away” from launching fresh attacks before allies in the Middle East asked him to postpone them, due to the possibility of a peace deal being agreed.

He said that America’s decision would be known “very soon”.

“I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit… I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon,” he told reporters.

President Donald Trump has said that the Iran war will end “very quickly” while attending a Congressional picnic Tuesday night, Washington time.

“We’re blowing everything away, and we’re going to end that war very quickly. They want to make a deal so badly, they’re tired of this,” he said of the Iranians.

He reassured Americans struggling with high gas prices that they will see “oil prices plummet.”

“They’re going to come down. There’s so much oil out there, they’re going to come plummeting down,” he said.

• President Donald Trump has said that the Iran war will end “very quickly” and that Tehran wanted to “make a deal so badly, they’re tired of this”
• Trump also claimed that he was “an hour away” from launching fresh strikes on Iran before his Gulf allies asked him to postpone them
• Russia’s deputy foreign ministry has offered Moscow’s help with talks between the US and Iran over their ongoing military conflict
• Oil prices ​eased on Wednesday as Brent crude oil futures fell 45 cents, or 0.4 per cent, to $110.83 a barrel. The US West Texas Intermediate futures were down 27 cents, ​or 0.3 per cent, to $103.88