Iran-US war latest: Tehran threatens ‘many more surprises’ as Vance says US military ready to resume strikesnewsline24

Chinese president Xi Jinping has called for an immediate end to hostilities in the Middle East and urged a “comprehensive” ceasefire during his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

“A comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, resuming hostilities is even more inadvisable and maintaining negotiations is particularly important,” Xi told Putin, according to Xinhua.

Help from Britain and other European allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz “would be appreciated at the appropriate time”, a top US commander has said.

Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads American forces in the Middle East, made his comments as he was pressed over a proposed UK and France-led defensive mission to safeguard shipping in the strategic waterway once the Iran conflict is over.

While he made clear its operation was a matter for the respective governments, he told Congress there had been talks at a military level in relation to planning.

Admiral Cooper appeared before a hearing on Capitol Hill as Donald Trump said he had given Tehran “a limited period of time” to reach a deal to end the war after calling off fresh strikes in the face of “serious negotiations”.

Repeating Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon, the US president said: “Whether it’s popular or not popular, I have to do it – because I’m not going to let the world be blown up on my watch. It’s not going to happen.”

An anonymous art collective behind a controversial statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein has opened a new exhibition mocking the administration’s foreign policy just miles from Mar-a-Lago.

The group, known as The Secret Handshake, has launched a weeklong pop-up exhibition at Mtn Space, a gallery in Lake Worth Beach. Running through Friday, the interactive display features a functional, retro-style arcade cabinet that parodies the Trump administration’s communications surrounding the conflict with Iran.

The piece, titled “Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell,” was originally unveiled as a three-cabinet installation at the D.C. War Memorial in Washington.

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.