President Trump said the US military was ‘loading up and resting’ for its ‘next conquest’ but pledged to stay in the Middle East and strike Iran ‘bigger, and better and stronger’ if a deal isn’t reached.

Trump, as well as his counterparts in Iran and Israel, entered into a contentious two-week ceasefire on Tuesday. Officials representing the three countries are scheduled to meet in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday to negotiate an end to the war.

It comes as Lebanon was hit with the heaviest bombardment by Israel so far in the conflict, killing 182 people and wounding 800 others, sparking fury from the Islamic Republic.

Tehran dubbed the attack a ‘massacre’ and said it represented a ‘grave violation of the ceasefire’, heightening fears that the regime may back out of the peace process. 

As part of the deal, Iran publicly released what it claimed was a ten-point peace plan that demanded control over the Strait of Hormuz and the right to enrich uranium. 

But Trump blasted the proposal and threatened to take even more aggressive action as he announced that US forces will remain in the area amid negotiations. 

‘All US Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal persecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT is fully complied with,’ he wrote in a Truth Social post late Wednesday night.

‘If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the “Shootin’ Starts” bigger, and better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.’

Trump also denied Iranian claims that a peace deal would include the country’s right to enrich uranium.

‘It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN AND SAFE.’

Trump threatened to strike Iran ‘bigger, and better and stronger’ if authorities cannot reach an agreement on the country’s nuclear program and control of the vital Strait of Hormuz

‘In the meantime, our great Military is Loading up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest.’

The post came just about an hour after the president slammed reports about Iran’s 10-point plan.

‘The Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN each reported a totally FAKE TEN POINT PLAN on the Iran negotiations which was meant to discredit the people involved in the peace process,’ he claimed. 

‘All ten points were a made up HOAX – EVIL LOSERS!!! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.’

The Trump administration had been facing backlash all day over the ceasefire and Iran’s 10-point plan, which even some of the president’s staunchest allies have argued concedes too much to the Iranian regime. 

Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, for example, said Trump had secured ‘significant victories’ but expressed skepticism over the peace talks and the president’s claims of ‘total victory.’

‘The government’s still in place and we should be negotiating from a position of strength, not a position that’s good for them,’ he told CNN.

‘They will work with Russia and China as soon as they can to start rebuilding their military. And they will be a threat five, six, seven, eight years down the road. And so, as long as this government’s in place, total victory has not been earned.’

Mark Levin, a pro-Israel commentator with close ties to Trump, also said that while he trusts the President’s ‘instincts,’ the Iranians could not be trusted. 

‘This enemy is still the enemy; they’re still surviving,’ he said of Iran.

Amid the backlash, the president walked back his statement that the 10-point plan was a ‘workable basis on which to negotiate.’

A White House official has since claimed the points in the released plan did not match what Trump had in mind.

But Trump later seemed to contradict his own team, saying most points had ‘been fully negotiated’ while leaving the door open to resuming strikes if the deal fell apart as the ceasefire began with a rocky start.

Iran reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli attacks on the regime’s proxy terror groups in Lebanon, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

It reported that two tankers were allowed through the strait Wednesday morning as the two-week ceasefire began, but operations were suspended ‘simultaneous with Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.’ 

Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Israel’s strikes against Lebanon were ‘grave violation’ of the ceasefire agreement. 

He said that Tehran had told the White House overnight: ‘You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. 

‘You cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept terms and conditions, accept all the areas that a ceasefire is applied to, and name Lebanon, exactly Lebanon in that, and then your ally just starts a massacre.’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the claims, as she agreed with Israeli officials that ‘Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire.’

Smoke rises from an explosion in the Abbasiyeh neighbourhood following an Israeli strike, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 8

First responders stand amid rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood on April 8

Firefighters spray smoldering debris at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck a building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8

Hezbollah later announced that it had retaliated against Israel with a rocket salvo, saying that its attacks would continue until Israeli strikes end, arguing they are a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Lebanese officials said at least 182 were killed and 890 wounded in the attacks. 

Meanwhile, Iran threatened to destroy oil tankers if they try to travel through the Strait without permission, as the regime has imposed a toll of up to $2 million per vessel.

Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, a critical artery routing crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea, also came under drone attack at 1pm local time, while Kuwaiti officials said its air defenses intercepted 28 drones in sustained attacks targeting oil facilities, power plants and water desalination infrastructure.

Despite the setbacks, North Atlantic Treaty Organization chief Mark Rutte praised Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire as he discussed his meeting with the president on CNN Wednesday.

Anchor Jake Tapper asked the NATO Secretary-General whether he believed the world is safer today than before the war started at the end of February.

‘Absolutely,’ Rutte replied. ‘This is thanks to President Trump’s leadership.’

Trump, on the other hand, hit out at the alliance for its failure to intervene in the war in Iran, despite his repeated requests for NATO member nations to send warships to the area to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He was expected to bring up the possibility of the US leaving the treaty organization in his meeting with Rutte, Leavitt said earlier in the day.

‘Withdrawing from NATO… is something that the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with [Rutte] and perhaps you’ll hear directly from the president following that meeting,’ she told reporters.

The press secretary added that she thought it was ‘quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks, when it’s the American people who have been funding their defense.’ 

Trump’s meeting with Rutte did not seem to assuage his concerns, as he later lashed out at the alliance on social media.

‘NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,’ the president posted on his Truth Social media platform, hours after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt relayed his message that NATO was ‘tested and failed.’

He then seemed to make a veiled threat about Greenland, a territory he has repeatedly sought to take over. 

‘REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE.’ 

The president is now reportedly considering punishing NATO member nations that did not help with the war effort. 

Still, a spokesperson for NATO told the Daily Mail that Rutte and Trump ‘had a frank discussion on a range of issues related to our shared security, including in the context of Iran.’

‘The Secretary General underscored the importance of Allies continuing to step up to deliver a stronger, fairer Alliance,’ the spokesperson said.

By JENSEN BIRD

Published: 21:51 EDT, 8 April 2026 | Updated: 22:17 EDT, 8 April 2026

A doctor who tried to push his wife off a cliff in Hawaii was found guilty of attempted manslaughter following a contentious trial. 

Gerhardt Konig, 47, was accused of trying to kill his nuclear engineer wife, Arielle Konig, on her birthday in Oahu on March 24, 2025. 

Prosecutors claimed that Gerhardt pushed her near the edge of the Pali Puka Trail and beat her multiple times with a rock.  

The anesthesiologist previously pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder charges, claiming he acted in self-defense. 

The jury convicted him of a lesser charge on Wednesday based on mental or emotional disturbance, reported ABC News. 

Gerhardt’s lawyers claimed that Arielle attacked her husband first. They said the incident was a case of ‘he said, she said.’ 

During three weeks of testimony, Arielle said she had been trying to repair the couple’s marriage after Gerhardt found ‘flirty messages’ between her and a coworker. 

She described the relationship as a three-month-long ’emotional affair’ with her coworker Jeff Miller.  

Gerhardt Konig, 47, was accused of trying to killed his nuclear engineer wife Arielle Konig on her birthday in Oahu on March 24, 2025

The couple went hiking in Oahu last spring after Gerhardt uncovered messages of his wife’s ’emotional affair.’

‘I was apologetic,’ she testified. ‘He was obviously hurt. I was committed to my marriage, to rebuild. It felt like an affair to him. It was an emotional affair to him.’ 

Arielle claimed that after her husband wrestled her to the ground, he pulled out a vial and a syringe before beating her with a rock.  

The defense has noted that police never found a syringe at the scene or evidence that he tried to inject his wife with any substance.

She told the court that she screamed, ‘Please help, he’s trying to kill me’ as her husband attacked her. 

Arielle testified that she was treated for ‘severe scalp lacerations’ following the incident and showed picture evidence of her injuries during the trial.  

Gerhardt told the court that the couple had gotten into an argument over their affair and that she struck him with a rock first before they wrestled one another to the ground. 

He admitted to striking her with a rock but denied that he had any syringes. Gerhardt also dispelled accusations that he attempted to push his wife toward the cliff’s edge.

Images revealed in court showed Arielle Konig’s injuries after her husband beat her with a rock

Gerhardt expressed remorse for the incident. 

‘I felt horrified about what I did to her, that I had caused this to her, that I had resorted to violence against my wife, the person whom I love the most in the world,’ he said.  ‘And I just kind of felt hopeless in terms of our relationship, too.’

Prosecutors claimed Gerhardt came up with a plan to kill his wife to avoid a divorce amid their marital issues.  

It was also revealed that Gerhardt stood to gain $250,000 from a life insurance policy in the event of Arielle’s death.

Arielle filed for divorce in May 2025 and sought full custody of the couple’s children.  

Gerhardt has been in jail since his arrest in March 2025, roughly eight hours after he attacked his wife. His medical staff privileges at Maui Health were revoked.

His sentencing is scheduled for August 13.  

A FedEx driver who brutally murdered seven-year-old Athena Strand told police he ‘kind of tossed her’ into the woods when he was first apprehended by investigators.

Tanner Horner, 34, made the chilling confession to cops in bodycam footage shown at his trial on Wednesday, after he pleaded guilty earlier this week to the November 2022 killing.

Horner is now facing a sentencing trial to determine if he will face the death penalty. 

The bodycam footage showed police search Horner’s home for signs of Strand before demanding he tell them where she was. 

‘I can show you,’ he told the officers, before one asked: ‘Is she alive?’ 

Horner responded: ‘She wasn’t alive when I put her in the truck.’ 

At the time, Horner claimed that he accidentally hit Strand with his truck, however he has since admitted to strangling the girl. 

The bodycam shown in court then revealed how Horner took the officers to search for Strand in a wooded area.

Athena Strand is filmed being driven to her death by kidnapper Tanner Horner. He admitted the November 2022 murder in court Tuesday

Strand was snatched by Horner as he dropped off a package containing a Christmas gift for the youngster – a box of Barbie dolls  

After they failed to locate her, Horner told officers he was unsure of her exact location because of the callous way he dumped her remains. 

‘I just kind of tossed her in,’ he said. 

At Horner’s earlier hearing this week, authorities released a nightmarish image of Strand’s final moments which showed her standing inside the killer’s FedEx truck before her brutal murder. 

The youngster was abducted by Horner as he delivered a box of Barbies to her home which were meant to be her Christmas present.

The bodycam was shown after prosecutors warned jurors in Horner’s trial that they would be faced with gruesome evidence, including horrific audio of Strand’s killing.

The girl was strangled to death by Horner in his truck, with her tortured last minutes captured by a microphone in his vehicle after he covered a camera inside. 

Jurors were cautioned by Wise County prosecutors that they will still be presented with all the evidence in the case for the ‘punishment phase’ of the trial, which will see them decide whether Horner should be sentenced to death.

Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said: ‘You are going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child. And when I say it’s horrible, I mean it.’

Strand was abducted by Horner from outside her home in November 2022

Horner was set to go on trial before abruptly pleading guilty this week. He now faces a sentencing trial

Jurors will be watching video and listening to audio files during Wednesday’s hearing.

Horner is said to have warned Strand: ‘Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you’ as he picked her up and put her in his truck.

‘I’m going to put you as close as you can be without actually being there that day. We have video of it and we’re going to show it now,’ Stainton told the jury.

Police involved in the search for Strand testified they were anguished for days as they hoped to find her alive. 

Texas Ranger Job Espinoza said in his testimony that he scoured the area around her home for three days and said images from inside Horner’s truck showing she was alive when she was abducted gave him some hope. 

He said officers raided Horner’s home for signs of the child, saying that: ‘If it means preservation of life, it allows us to go in there and make sure someone isn’t in danger.’ 

Espinoza said in his testimony that after Horner was trying to show them where he ‘just tossed’ Strand’s body, he later understood that the driver had led them to the wrong location. 

Horner seen in court this week after pleading guilty to murdering the girl

At Horner’s trial, jurors were warned they would be presented with gruesome evidence of Strand’s final moments as they determine if Horner should face the death penalty 

When Horner was first apprehended by police, he claimed he had accidentally struck Strand with his truck, before disposing of her body in a panic. 

But the photo prosecutors revealed this week of Strand alive in his truck proved this to be false, with DA Stainton branding Horner’s excuse ‘a web of lies.’

The killer drove seven miles from home and dumped her body where it was found by police just hours later.

Stainton told jurors that Strand was uninjured when Horner put her into the vehicle.

‘The first thing Tanner Horner says to Athena when he picks her up and puts her in that truck, he leans down and he says: “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you.” He says that twice,’ Stainton said.

The prosecutor said Strand fought Horner, and his DNA was found under her fingernails. He also said Horner’s DNA was found ‘in places where you shouldn’t find DNA on a seven-year-old girl.’

‘The only truthful thing that Tanner Horner told law enforcement was that he killed her,’ the prosecutor added. ‘The pattern and web of lies that he put together, it’s going to be hard for y’all to keep up with. It is lie upon lie upon lie upon lie.’

Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping.

An alcoholic was today convicted of murdering a head chef who worked at top London restaurants including Claridge’s.

Alexis De Naray, 45, trained at the Prue Leith Cooking School and worked in several high-end kitchens in the capital, jurors were told.

But he began drinking ‘due to the stressful nature of the job’ and was also an alcoholic at the time of his death last June.

A court heard the talented chef ended up homeless and was found dead under a sleeping bag in the attic room of an abandoned building in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

This afternoon, a jury unanimously convicted Adam Rowson, 26, who was also homeless, of killing Mr De Naray.

Judge Avik Mukarjee adjourned sentencing until May 6 and remanded Rowson into custody.

The judge thanked the jury for their ‘impressive commitment’ to the ‘distressing’ case and excused them from any future jury service.

During the two-week trial, Stafford Crown Court heard a post-mortem examination revealed Mr De Naray suffered 17 fractured ribs and injuries to his head and arms.

Alexis De Naray worked at top London restaurants but had become a chronic alcoholic by the time of his death, the court heard

A forensic pathologist found the chef had been subjected to a significant blunt force assault before his death last June.

Opening the trial last month, prosecutor Sally Howes KC, said Mr De Naray was a ‘well-educated man’ from a Greek family.

‘Having attended the Prue Leith Cooking School, he worked as a head chef in a number of restaurants in London,’ she said.

‘Unfortunately, due to the stressful nature of that job, drinking became a way of life and his alcohol problems began.

‘By the time of his death he had become a chronic alcoholic.’

Jurors were told Mr De Naray, who was classically trained in French cuisine, nearly died from seizures caused by alcohol withdrawal during the Covid lockdown.

‘As a result, his father arranged housing for him in Shrewsbury – near to the family home,’ said Miss Howes.

‘However, despite the help of his father and a number of local agencies, at the time of his death, he was a homeless alcoholic.’

Mr De Naray’s father paid for his son to stay in local hotels, including a Travelodge and Premier Inn, the court heard.

After leaving London, the chef had a stint working at a Worcestershire pub before moving on to a restaurant and guest house in Ironbridge, Shropshire.

He has previously told the Private Dining Rooms website that Claridge’s, where Gordon Ramsay ran a restaurant, was the first restaurant he worked in. His signature dish was Filet mignon of beef with pan fried fois gras, reduced pan drippings and chanterelle mushrooms.

Jurors were told Mr De Naray met Rowson at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the pair were seen on CCTV shortly before 4am the next morning walking towards the derelict building, it is claimed.

Miss Howes said it was the last time Mr De Naray was seen alive.

Prosecutors claim he was then subjected to a violent attack inside the abandoned property.

Rowson told jurors he invited a former high-flying chef back to his squat while collecting half-finished cigarette butts outside a hospital – before killing him in a fight.

The moment the fight broke out, Rowson said, was when Mr De Naray, while naked, “leaned” on Rowson as he was looking out of a window.

He told jurors he punched Mr De Naray to the chest. “I was anxious. I was freaked out,” he said.

Mr De Naray got on top of Rowson, the defendant told the court, and put “pressure” on his stomach.

“I didn’t want him on top of me at all,” Rowson said. “It was a horrible situation.”

Rowson claimed the chef was still alive when he left him.

Before the prosecutors closed their case, the jury heard from Jessica Kirk, who worked at the Shropshire Recovery Partnership drug and alcohol support service in Castle Gates, Shrewsbury.

She told how, at a scheduled appointment with Rowson, he asked her if he was going to be arrested, and told her he had “done something bad”.

Rowson claimed this related to his subsequent use of the victim’s bank cards, buying clothes and alcohol at several shops as well as drugs.

But the killer was also heard on CCTV cameras outside a supermarket on June 25 telling friends he had ‘killed someone’.

Mr De Naray’s father raised the alarm and reported his son as missing on June 24 after not hearing from him.

Three days later, police received a 101 call from Rowson saying he had found a body in the abandoned house.

Miss Howes said as well as the rib fractures, Mr De Naray suffered other multiple injuries, including a bleed on the brain.

The pathologist, Dr Alexander Kolar, gave a cause of death as multiple injuries compounded by complications of long-standing use of alcohol to excess and acute alcohol intoxication.

The court heard Mr De Naray also had cirrhosis of the liver and was more than five times the legal drink drive limit when he died.

Iran’s Lavan oil refinery hit after US ceasefire announcement

Britain basked in the hottest April 7 on record yesterday – and the mercury is set to leap even higher today.

Temperatures are predicted to climb as high as 26C, which would mean eclipsing yesterday as the warmest day of the year so far.

The Welsh island of Anglesey saw the highest temperature yesterday, with 24.8C recorded in Mona.

But today the hottest spots are set to be in central and south-eastern England, as the latest weather map reveals. 

The Met Office said: ‘The highest temperatures in the UK have been in north-west Wales today.

‘Here we’ve had the warmest April 7 on record and the highest temperature of 2026 so far.

‘We’re very likely to see higher temperatures as we move through the rest of spring and towards summer.’

Forecasters have also warned of a ‘pollen bomb’, as levels soar across much of the country.

Yesterday was the hottest April 7 on record but today is set to feel even warmer, particularly in parts of central and south-eastern England where temperatures could reach 26C

Sunbathers enjoy the hot weather yesterday on Brighton beach, where temperatures reached 22C

The warm weather was good news for this ice cream van at the foot of Tower Bridge

Londoners also flocked to St James’s Park, with sunseekers taking the opportunity to soak up some rays

The warm  

For some, the warmth is particularly well-timed as it coincides with school Easter holidays, and families accordingly flocked to the beach to enjoy the sunshine.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey said: ‘There really is no place like Brighton when the sun is shining and we’re definitely seeing people keen to take advantage of the sunshine today – not just on the beach itself, but also visiting our brilliant seafront cafes and bars, or enjoying a walk along the prom.

‘Our new seafront park in Hove has been incredibly busy as well, with families making the most of the school holidays at our skatepark.

‘We’re officially the sunniest city in England and we know how to have fun when the sun it out.’

A spokesperson for Weymouth Town Council said: ‘It’s been wonderful to see so many people choosing to enjoy the sun on Weymouth beach and we’re looking forward to welcoming more visitors to our town, so they can enjoy all the fun our resort has to offer.

‘Roll on summer!’

A spokesperson for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council said: ‘It’s great to see people enjoying BCP’s beautiful beaches in the warm weather, and we want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable visit.

People picnic and enjoy the warm sunshine at Potters Fields Park during lunchtime

Pedalos were a popular choice on The Serpentine lake in Hyde Park on Tuesday

‘With seafront facilities fully open, visitors can look forward to land trains, cafes and attractions across the promenade, offering plenty to enjoy for families, day trippers and holidaymakers.

‘We urge anyone considering a swim to follow the RNLI’s water safety advice, and remind beachgoers that disposable BBQs are only permitted on the beach between 6pm and 10.30pm.’

Webcams also showed crowds sunbathing at Lyme Regis beach in Dorset.

Met Office chief forecaster Paul Gundersen said: ‘We’re seeing a brief but notable spell of very warm weather for early April, with temperatures more typically associated with late spring or early summer.

‘This could be the warmest spell at this point in April since 2020, a year many will remember because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

‘However, this warmth will be short-lived, with a marked drop in temperatures and more unsettled conditions developing later this week.

‘In some areas, daytime temperatures could fall by around 10C between Wednesday and Thursday.’

The forecasting service warned of a ‘big change’ on Thursday when temperatures are expected to drop to between 10C and 13C.

‘It’s all purely down to wind direction at this time of year,’ a spokesperson said.

‘For the next couple of days we’re dragging in that warm, southerly wind, which will allow us to see temperatures reach the mid-20s.

‘As we go into Thursday, we’ll see temperatures return to normal for the time of year as we see the weather turn more changeable with advances of rain and showers.’

Temperatures are forecast to hover around 10C in the north and 14C in the south over the weekend.

The warmer spell comes in the wake of Storm Dave, which caused widespread damage and disruption over the Easter weekend as 70mph winds battered parts of northern England, Scotland and Wales. 

Завершився черговий курс Вишколу капітанів. Ще 75 офіцерів закінчили навчання та вирушають у підрозділи на бойові позиції. Це вже 14­й курс. Загалом із початку повномасштабної війни підготовлено понад 1100 офіцерів тактичної ланки.

Міністр оборони Михайло Федоров відвідав навчання та разом з інструкторами і командуванням оцінив процес підготовки.

«Вишкіл капітанів — курс, який формує нову якість офіцерів тактичної ланки. Саме офіцери визначають ефективність підрозділів на полі бою — від їхніх рішень залежить виконання завдань і збереження життя людей», — наголосив Михайло Федоров.

Вишкіл капітанів побудований на підходах НАТО до професійної військової освіти та процедур військового планування, адаптованих до умов сучасної війни. Офіцери опановують процедури TLP (Troop Leading Procedures) — для планування дій підрозділу на рівні роти, а також MDMP (Military Decision Making Process) — для ухвалення рішень на рівні штабу батальйону. Це дає змогу діяти швидко в умовах невизначеності та ухвалювати обґрунтовані рішення.

Навчання триває три місяці безперервно, сім днів на тиждень, і базується на реальних бойових кейсах — від оборони Києва 2022 року до наступальних операцій 2026­го. У підготовці використовують цифрові системи DELTA, «Кропива» та інші інструменти для аналізу обстановки і планування. Фокусуються на застосуванні безпілотних систем, зокрема наземних роботизованих комплексів.

«Завдання нашої команди — змінити систему підготовки українських військовослужбовців. Разом із фондом «Повернись живим» працюємо над масштабуванням Вишколу капітанів і перезавантаженням професійної військової освіти на тактичному рівні. Якісна підготовка — це менші втрати й більша ефективність», — резюмував Михайло Федоров, повідомляє Міноборони. 

By CLAIRE ELLICOTT

Published: 18:44 EDT, 7 April 2026 | Updated: 21:22 EDT, 7 April 2026

Reform UK has vowed to resume drilling in the North Sea for oil and gas to help the UK produce its own energy if it wins the next election.

Nigel Farage’s party pledged to use Britain’s ‘energy treasure’ to create jobs, boost growth and cut bills by ending the ban on further exploration.

Analysts have predicted that energy bills could rise by nearly £300 a year from July when the energy price cap increases.

It comes as ministers clash over whether Labour should restart oil and gas extraction or stick with Ed Miliband’s Net Zero goals. 

The Energy Secretary – who is pro-renewables and against any further exploration – is at odds with Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who thinks drilling is good for growth.

He is said to be considering approving the Jackdaw gas field off Scotland but remains opposed to the Rosebank oil field, which is thought to contain up to 300million barrels. 

Nigel Farage’s party pledged to use Britain’s ‘energy treasure’ to create jobs, boost growth and cut bills by ending the ban on further exploration

Reform said on Tuesday it would approve both fields, saying the need to exploit homegrown oil and gas reserves had never been more urgent.

Energy spokesman Richard Tice said: ‘Opening up the North Sea to more licences and production is our vital, patriotic duty. 

‘Energy security and independence is essential and can only be secured by using our own oil and gas. 

‘We must scrap Net Zero and all the damaging expensive carbon taxes. The Tories and Labour have deliberately made us poorer with their Net Zero obsession.’

The party said it aimed to increase UK oil and gas production by at least half.

Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that Iran has agreed to a two-week ceasefire and will re-open the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran submitted a 10-point peace plan to end the war. 

Trump posted on Truth Social, ‘I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,’ after earlier sparking doomsday fears when he threatened to wipe out its ‘entire civilization’ if they did not reopen the strait.

Iran accepted the Pakistan-brokered deal after a last-minute Chinese intervention urging Tehran to show flexibility over the war’s economic fallout, three Iranian officials told the New York Times. 

The officials said that the ceasefire was approved by the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, despite intelligence reports which say he is in a coma.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the truce and that ‘safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible’ during the two-week period.

Israel also agreed to halt attacks on Iran for two weeks, a senior White House official told Axios, with the ceasefire taking effect once the Strait of Hormuz is re-opened. 

US crude oil prices plunged after Trump’s ceasefire announcement, with West Texas Intermediate contracts falling by more than 15 percent to $95 per barrel after hitting $116 earlier Tuesday. 

Trump said that after talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif he had been assured that Iran will agree ‘to the complete, immediate, and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz.’

President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for Iran and the US to negotiate an end to the war after threatening to annihilate the country

Smoke rises from the site of a US-Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran on April 7, 2026

A US-AF F-35 Lightning II stealth multirole fighter jet takes off from RAF Lakenheath in England on April 7

‘This will be a double sided ceasefire,’ Trump added. ‘The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive agreement concerning long-term peace with Iran.’

He noted that a 10-point proposal from Iran ‘is a workable basis on which to negotiate,’ despite saying on Monday that the deal was not ‘good enough.’

Vice President JD Vance, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been leading US negotiations to end the war which was launched on February 28 – dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

The deal came after Pakistani PM Sharif posted on X that major breakthroughs had been made between US and Iranian negotiators. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘There are discussions about face-to-face meetings between the United States and Iran, but nothing is final until it is announced by the President or the White House.’ 

Trump had warned Tuesday morning that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again’ if no deal was reached by his 8pm ET deadline. 

Shortly after the ceasefire deal was announced, early alerts for incoming missile fire went out in Tel Aviv, Fox News reported.

It is the fourth extension Trump has offered the Islamic Republic since he first threatened to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants on March 21. 

Trump looks at Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking following the official signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, during a world leaders’ summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025

Video on Tuesday showed women and children waving flags as chanting blared on a loudspeaker at a power plant after Trump threatened to bomb infrustructure

The US hit dozens of military targets on Kharg Island, a crucial Iranian oil export hub Monday night

Even before the deadline expired, airstrikes had already hit two bridges and a train station. American forces also struck military infrastructure on Kharg Island for the second time, a key hub for Iranian oil production 

An explosion erupts following strikes near Azadi Tower close to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7 

Trump has been fixated on forcing Iran to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway off the country’s coast through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. 

Iran has bombed multiple vessels that have made the dangerous decision to transit the strait. As a result, oil prices have skyrocketed and global markets have churned.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas has shot up from $2.98 to $4.14, a 39 percent increase.

The US negotiators have demanded that Iran give up its nuclear enrichment capabilities, cut back its drone and ballistic missile programs, cease its support for proxies across the region and immediately re-open the Strait of Hormuz. 

The President has stressed repeatedly that the objectives of the war are to ensure Iran cannot create a nuclear weapon, its proxies cannot meddle with Middle Eastern countries, and Iran’s Navy, drone and ballistic missile capabilities are destroyed.

Iran proposed a 10-point counter-proposal to US negotiators via Pakistani officials on Monday after the US gave Islamabad a 15-point proposal to begin a ceasefire. 

The President refused to comment on the 10-point plan earlier on Tuesday, telling Fox News: ‘I can’t comment, because right now we’re in heated negotiations.’ 

Trump said on Monday at a White House press conference that the plan was a ‘significant step,’ but he added that it is ‘not good enough.’ 

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, reportedly signed off on the ceasefire deal, according to the New York Times

US Navy fighter jets take off from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Operation Epic Fury

Sharif had called on both Trump and the Iranian regime to accept the two-week ceasefire before the President finally relented. 

‘To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture,’ Sharif said on Tuesday afternoon. 

‘We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region.’

Even before the deadline expired, airstrikes had already hit two bridges and a train station. American forces also struck military infrastructure on Kharg Island for the second time, a key hub for Iranian oil production.

Israel’s military warned of an increased risk of inbound attacks as Trump’s deadline approached.

Before the announcement, blasts were heard in the Qatari capital Doha, while the UAE said its air defenses were responding to missile threats.