Trump says Hormuz Strait would reopen if Iran accepts deal
President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to all shipping, including Iran, if Tehran agrees to terms under discussion with Washington.
“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end,” Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday.
He said a “highly effective Blockade” would allow the Strait of Hormuz to remain “OPEN TO ALL, including Iran.”
Trump also warned that if Iran does not agree, “the bombing starts,” adding that military action would be carried out “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”
UK stocks jumped more than 2% on Wednesday as investors bet on a possible US-Iran deal to end the months-long war, Reuters reported.
The conflict has pushed energy prices sharply higher and raised concerns about inflationary pressure.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 2.4% by 1055 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 climbed 2.6% and touched its highest level in two weeks, according to the report.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy said safe and stable passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be ensured after what it described as the neutralization of “aggressor threats” and the introduction of new maritime protocols.
“With aggressor's threats neutralized and new protocols in place, safe, stable passage through SOH will be ensured,” the force said in a statement posted on X on Wednesday.
The Guards also thanked ship captains and owners operating in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman for complying with Iran’s Strait of Hormuz regulations.
The conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel may have influenced the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and senior US officials at a White House journalists’ dinner last month, according to a US intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.
The preliminary Department of Homeland Security report said suspect Cole Allen had “multiple social and political grievances” and found the Iran war may have contributed to his decision to carry out the attack.
The assessment cited social media posts linked to Allen criticizing US actions during the conflict.
The report, dated April 27, was circulated to state and local law enforcement agencies and other federal bodies following the April 25 shooting attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Reuters reported that the FBI has been reviewing Allen’s online activity, including anti-Trump posts touching on Iran, immigration policy, Elon Musk and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
US prosecutors this week added a charge accusing Allen of firing at a Secret Service agent during the incident. He has not yet entered a plea.
France was not specifically targeted in an attack on a vessel operated by French shipping group CMA CGM in the Strait of Hormuz, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on Wednesday.
“The situation remains dangerous, but France was in no way the target,” Bregeon told reporters.
Her comments came after an attack on one of CMA CGM’s vessels in the strategic waterway, amid heightened tensions in the region linked to conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel.
At least 30 women detained during recent protests and a security crackdown linked to Iran’s conflict with the US and Israel are being held in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions at Vakilabad prison in northeast Mashhad, the rights group HRANA reported.
The detainees include women swept up during the nationwide uprising and others arrested following the military conflict involving Iran, the US, and Israel that began in February.
According to the HRANA report, 23 women are being held in the Aramesh ward, described as a basement-like structure with low ceilings and minimal ventilation.
Former detainees told the group the cramped conditions, which one compared to an ant nest, frequently trigger breathing problems and panic attacks.
Seven other women are currently being held in a quarantine unit characterized by poor sanitation and sewage odors. HRANA said that prisoners face a shortage of beds, limited medical treatment, and are often denied phone calls and family visits during their interrogation.
The reports of poor conditions coincide with concerns over the legal status of those currently held in the facility. Iran International reported earlier that three female political prisoners – Mahboubeh Shabani, theatre actress Sima Anbaei Farimani, and Azar Yahou – remain in legal limbo at the prison.
These women face severe charges including enmity against God, conspiracy against national security, and alleged links to Israel. Despite weeks in detention, they have been denied access to lawyers and have not been informed of the status of their cases.
Mahboubeh Shabani, Sima Anbaei Farimani, and Azar Yahu
Escalation of executions
The crackdown in the northeast reflects a wider national trend of severe punishment for security-related detainees. Center for Human Rights in Iran reported that at least 28 prisoners accused in political and security cases have been executed across Iran in the past 50 days.
Of those executed, 13 were individuals detained during the recent winter protests.
