Category Archives: Iran

‘A Head-Spinning Day’: BBC Correspondent Brands Trump ‘Erratic’ For Ditching ‘Project Freedom’

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A BBC correspondent branded Donald Trump “erratic” after he ditched his latest attempt to re-open the Strait of Hormuz barely a day after launching it.

The US president claimed he was temporarily ending Project Freedom “based on the request of Pakistan and other countries”.

He said it was being “paused for a short period of time” to see whether a peace deal could be agreed to end the war in Iran.

His comments, in a post on Truth Social, came just hours after US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Project Freedom was needed to save “23,000 civilians from 87 different countries that are trapped … and left for dead in the Persian Gulf.”

Iran has affectively closed the Strait of Hormuz – a vital waterway which carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war – since America and Israel started bombing the country on February 28.

Since then, more than 1,000 tankers have been left stranded in the region.

Trump announced at the weekend that the US Navy would “guide” stranded ships through the Strait.

However, only two made it through before he announced that Project Freedom was being halted.

On Radio 4′s Today programme on Wednesday, BBC US correspondent David Willis said: “What are we to make of all this? Well, Project Freedom had antagonised Iran, which had fired missiles and drones at US forces in the area.

“And Iran had threatened to effectively put an end to the fragile ceasefire by maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz. Added to which it had only led to the passage of two merchant ships through the Strait, albeit it had only been in effect for a day.

“Did the US, I wonder, perhaps feel it was backfiring? We’ll have to wait and see.”

He added: ”[It has been] a head-spinning day even by Donald Trump’s somewhat erratic standards.

“The question now is where does this leave the 1,600 or so ships that remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, some of which have been there for getting on three months now.

“The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, said earlier that hundreds of commercial vessels were lining up to be guided through the Strait of Hormuz by the US navy. What happens to them now, and indeed the precious commodities such as oil and fertiliser that the US was also hoping to liberate?”

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Blow For Brits As Trump’s War In Iran Sends Prices Soaring

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Donald Trump’s decision to go to war in Iran has sent fuel prices soaring and is pushing up inflation, new figures have revealed.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics showed that inflation hit 3.3% in March, up from 3% the month before.

That was driven almost entirely by higher prices at the pumps, with motor fuel costs increasing by a staggering 8.7% as the war led to a spike in the cost of a barrel of oil.

The figures raise the prospect of interest rate rises later in the year and are a massive blow to the government as it tries to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “This is not our war, but it is pushing up bills for families and businesses. That’s why it’s my number one priority to keep costs down.”

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden painted an even gloomier picture on BBC Breakfast, warning that food prices are also likely to rise considerably if the war continues.

He said: “At the beginning of the year, inflation was projected to fall and indeed interest rates were also projected to fall.

“But of course since the beginning of the year we’ve had this war in Iran and we are feeling the consequences of that and, I’ve got to be honest with the viewers, we’ll feel more consequences of that as the months play out.

“The initial consequence is a spike in oil and gas prices. That affects energy prices as a whole, and energy prices affect the price of many other things, such as production of food and so on.

“The government will do everything we can to help the country through this period, but the inflation effects we are seeing are as a result of decisions we didn’t take in a war that the prime minister and the government have not been part of.

“The UK, like other countries, can’t escape the consequences of what is happening in the Middle East.”

Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: “The conflict in the Middle East is increasing inflation – but Labour’s choices have made everything worse and made our economy vulnerable.”

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Trump Once Again Threatened War Crimes On The Eve Of Iran Peace Talks — And His Lackey Has An Interesting Interpretation

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White House Energy Secretary Chris Wright called President Donald Trump a “creative negotiator” when asked about his threats to “knock out every single” power plant and bridge in Iran.

As peace talks between the United States and Iran appear to be at a stalemate amid a tenuous ceasefire agreement and continued jockeying over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the president demanded Iran accept America’s terms or face his full wrath in a Sunday morning Truth Social post.

“NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” Trump declared, calling the US’s diplomatic offer “very fair and reasonable.”

Asked if the president’s intimidation tactics could “complicate” negotiations with Iran during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” just hours later, Wright said he had full confidence in Trump.

“The president is using every way he can to get leverage over the regime and bring this conflict to an end,” he told host Shannon Bream. “He’s a creative negotiator, he uses pressure in different ways.”

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FOX NEWS SUNDAY: When the president talks about blowing up every power plant and bridge, how does complicate things?

CHRIS WRIGHT: He’s a creative negotiator pic.twitter.com/XsmrnxQvrZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 19, 2026

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FOX NEWS SUNDAY: When the president talks about blowing up every power plant and bridge, how does complicate things?

CHRIS WRIGHT: He’s a creative negotiator pic.twitter.com/XsmrnxQvrZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 19, 2026

“He uses uncertainty in different ways and I think as you’ve seen in the last 16 months, generally it leads to good results,” the cabinet member went on. “I don’t think we’ll see any surprises here.”

Wright envisioned reaching a “nice end to this conflict,” which he said would rescue Iran’s regional neighbors from “constant terror” and also guarantee a free “flow of goods” through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Imagine a nuclear armed Iran, not far away from that reality,” he said. “This is going to put an end to it.”

Wright stuck by his support for Trump’s strategy in a separate Sunday interview on CNN, where host Jake Tapper asked the secretary if he was worried strikes on civilian infrastructure could “constitute a war crime.”

“The president is looking for maximum leverage,” he said, later adding, “No, I’m not worried about that.”

Earlier this month, Trump triggered international panic with a near-identical ultimatum, telling Iran to “open the fuckin’ Strait” of Hormuz within two days or find themselves “living in hell” via Truth Social.

After upping the ante with a post warning “a whole civilization will die tonight” just hours before his 8pm April 7 deadline, a two-week ceasefire was announced.

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