Military planners from countries seeking to join a UK and France-led mission to keep the Strait of Hormuz open once the Iran war ends will meet in London today.

More than 30 nations are expected to send planners to the two-day conference starting today and co-hosted by the UK and France at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north London.

They aim to build on talks held by Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week with a view to setting up a joint defensive mission after a sustainable ceasefire agreement has been reached.

The talks in London will focus on military capabilities, command and control, and how military forces could deploy to the region.

Defence secretary John Healey said: “The task, today and tomorrow, is to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the strait and support a lasting ceasefire.

“I am confident that, over the next two days, real progress can be made. International trade, energy security and the stability of the global economy depend on freedom of navigation.”

By building on our common purpose, strengthening multinational co-ordination and planning for effective collective action, we can help reopen the strait, stabilise the global economy and protect our people.”

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said this morning that it had received a ⁠report ​of an ⁠incident 15 nautical ⁠miles northeast ​of Oman, where ⁠the ‌master of a container ship ‌reported being approached by ‌an IRGC gunboat.

The vessel ⁠was subsequently fired upon, sustaining heavy damage to its bridge, though no fires ‌or environmental ​impact were ‌reported and ⁠all crew ⁠members were safe.

On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump fired off a barrage of Truth Social posts targeting an array of domestic and foreign entities long familiar with his relentless criticism.

In the span of roughly 90 minutes, he singled out the Supreme Court, The Wall Street Journal, the renewable energy industry and the Iranian regime.

The president’s online remarks capped off his day at the White House, during which he attended policy meetings, hosted college athletes in the State Dining Room and participated in a marathon Bible-reading event.

US president ​Donald Trump’s administration has halted US dollar shipments to Iraq and frozen security cooperation programs with its ⁠military, as it presses Baghdad to dismantle Iranian-backed militias operating in the country, the Wall Street Journal reported.

US ⁠Treasury Department officials recently blocked a delivery of nearly $500m in ⁠US banknotes – the proceeds of Iraqi ​oil ⁠sales – from accounts ‌at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Journal said.

Washington has also informed Baghdad it is suspending funding for some counter-terrorism and military training programs until militia attacks end and Iraqi authorities take steps to dismantle armed groups, the report ‌added.

The US earlier this ​month summoned Iraq’s ambassador after ‌a drone struck ⁠a major US diplomatic facility in ⁠Baghdad, following a series of drone attacks ‌that Washington has ​blamed on Iran-aligned “terrorist ‌militias”.

The US has imposed new sanctions targeting 14 ​people and companies that help Iran obtain weapons ‌as Tehran works to rebuild its ballistic missile inventory after US-Israeli attacks, the treasury department said.

The targets, ​which also include aircraft, are based in Iran, ​Turkey and the United Arab Emirates and ⁠were cited for their involvement in procuring or ​transporting weapons or components on Iran’s behalf, the treasury said ​in a statement.

“As the United States continues to deplete Iran’s ​ballistic missile inventories, the regime is ​seeking to ⁠reconstitute its production capacity,” the treasury said.

“Iran is increasingly relying on Shahed-series one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to ⁠target ​the United States and its ​allies, including energy infrastructure in the region.”

The US has imposed new sanctions targeting 14 ​people and companies that help Iran obtain weapons ‌as Tehran works to rebuild its ballistic missile inventory after US-Israeli attacks, the treasury department said.

The targets, ​which also include aircraft, are based in Iran, ​Turkey and the United Arab Emirates and ⁠were cited for their involvement in procuring or ​transporting weapons or components on Iran’s behalf, the treasury said ​in a statement.

“As the United States continues to deplete Iran’s ​ballistic missile inventories, the regime is ​seeking to ⁠reconstitute its production capacity,” the treasury said.”

Iran is increasingly relying on Shahed-series one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to ⁠target ​the United States and its ​allies, including energy infrastructure in the region.”

Oil prices have fallen slightly this morning ​after rising about $1 at the start of trade in Asia, with investors assessing the outlook for ‌US-Iran peace talks following the US extension of a ceasefire.

Brent crude futures were down 21 cents, or 0.2 per cent, at $98.27 a barrel, after touching $99.38 earlier in the session. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 28 cents, or 0.3 per cent, to $89.39, after climbing as high ​as $90.71.

US crude ​oil inventory fell by 4.5 million barrels last week after three ​weeks of gains, while gasoline and distillate stock also declined, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures.

US president Donald Trump is considering extending the Jones ⁠Act waiver, which allows foreign-flagged cargo ships to move ⁠fuel ​and other ⁠goods between domestic ports, ⁠according to Axios.

Trump ‌waived Jones Act limitations for 60 ‌days starting 17 March, hoping the move would ⁠help tame the surge in fuel prices caused by the Iran war by increasing shipments ‌from the US ​Gulf Coast ‌to other ⁠coastal markets ⁠in the country