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.’

‘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 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.’ 

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. 

As the clock ticks toward President Trump’s 8 p.m. Eastern deadline for Iran to come to the negotiating table, panic has gripped the nation.

Facing the threat of devastating military strikes, terrified civilians tell the Daily Mail they are frantically evacuating major cities and saying goodbye to loved ones – even as defiant government leaders deploy a chilling tactic: ordering their own citizens onto the streets as human shields.

The call to gather at infrastructure sites came directly from an Iranian official, captured in an Associated Press video clip. 

Speaking in Farsi, he urged ‘youth, athletes, artists, students and professors’ to assemble at power plants the following day at 2 p.m. local time, arguing that their presence would expose any American strike as a war crime.

Trump himself has left no room for ambiguity about what non-compliance to his demands means. He’s demanding the Islamic Republic completely open up the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, lifting a blockade that has triggered a cascade of disruptions on energy supplies.  

‘A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,’ he wrote on Truth Social.

With the President openly pledging a ‘Power Plant Day’ and ‘Bridge Day’ to dismantle Iran’s infrastructure, sources in Tehran and Isfahan describe scenes of chaos – road blockages, mass evacuations, and state television brazenly instructing citizens to gather around key sites with their children.

‘They are announcing on national TV – come to the streets and bring your children,’ one source with family inside Iran tells the Daily Mail. ‘It’s their thing to use people as human shields. Same pattern as in Palestine. They do this instead of surrendering or making a deal.’

He added: ‘Government supporters will go. They are barbaric. They believe even if they die – even if their children die for the sake of Islam – they will end up in Heaven. My mom says every night they come onto the streets, chanting death to America, death to Israel. Even until midnight.’

Despite the terror, some anti–regime citizens see a glimmer of hope that the new Ayatollah’s grip on the country might finally be loosened, if not shattered.

‘At the end of Trump’s message, you can clearly see he mentioned that 47 years of death and corruption will end – so that means no more Islamic tyranny,’ the source added.

But Trump’s ultimatum appears to be explicitly about Iran’s blockade and nuclear program, not regime change. His public messaging has framed a successful deal in terms of denuclearization, not necessarily toppling the entire Islamic Republic.

Trump’s rhetoric has left many Iranians conflicted. One points to the tension at the heart of his message: ‘It’s paradoxical – he says a whole civilization will die tonight, but also blesses the great people of Iran.’

Across the country, citizens are bracing for the worst. Supermarket shelves are being stripped bare as people stockpile ahead of threatened rolling blackouts and severed supply chains. One Iranian says he and his family have already stocked up on water and supplies – but fear cuts both ways.

‘They are very stressed,’ the source says, ‘but at the same time, if this war ends now, it would literally be a living hell – because the government would retaliate.’

For many, the regime is as frightening a prospect as American airstrikes. The government’s crackdown on communications has prompted a wave of digital self-erasure: two Iranians – one in Tehran, one in Isfahan – are already saying their goodbyes and frantically deleting message threads with contacts abroad.

‘My internet connection keeps cutting out for long periods. If our chat stays on Instagram, it could put me in serious danger – the regime randomly connects people’s phones to the internet in the streets and checks their apps. I have to delete our chat. Wishing you a path full of success.’

That was Bahareh’s last message. She asked that her surname not be published.

For those with the means, leaving the city is the only option. Major roads are jammed with families fleeing to remote areas, far from the power grids and military installations likely to be in the crosshairs. 

One Iranian says his entire family has relocated to his uncle’s villa in the countryside. ‘They are safer there, it is a pretty calm and peaceful place,’ he said, declining to say where.

With hours left until the 8 p.m. deadline, the world is watching to see whether last-minute diplomacy can pull back from the brink – or whether Iran goes dark tonight.

President Donald Trump has sparked disbelief and mockery after an extraordinary White House briefing on Monday that critics claimed was more reminiscent of an SNL skit.

Trump took the White House podium to detail the ‘breathtaking’ rescue of two US pilots shot down over Iran, showing the scope and resolve of the American fighting force.

YouTube personality and comedian Jimmy Dore led the charge, calling the administration’s narrative a ‘clown show’ after Trump claimed total military dominance despite the recent downing of a US fighter jet.

‘Pretending that getting a fighter jet shot down by a military that Trump said was ‘Completely Decimated’ as a victory is pure clown show,’ Dore wrote on X. ‘Iran is humiliated? Everything they say is projection and a confession.’

Other high–traffic financial accounts on X echoed the sentiment, with one viral post stating: ‘That was one of the craziest press conferences Trump has ever given. Absolute comedy.’

The comments come as Trump signals a frantic, optimistic push for a peace deal with what he calls a ‘decapitated’ Iranian regime – while simultaneously authorizing the most ‘ferocious’ wave of American strikes to date.

And he wouldn’t disclose whether he’ll be winding down the bombing campaign. 

‘I don’t know. I can’t tell. It depends what they do,’ Trump said, further sparking confusion. 

Trump also used the briefing to issue a terrifying final warning to Tehran, setting a hard deadline for Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

‘The entire country could be taken out in one night – and that night might be tomorrow night,’ Trump said. He warned that if a deal isn’t reached, he will order the total demolition of Iran’s civilian infrastructure, vowing to leave the nation in the ‘Stone Age.’

‘Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by tomorrow night… every power plant will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again,’ Trump warned, adding that it would take the Iranian people ‘100 years to rebuild’ without American help.

Army Vet Clay Harmon called it ‘absolute madness’ on X. 

‘Trump just told Iran to open the strait or face bombing Tuesday. No lawyers. No press conference. straight from the president. When did we last have a president like this?’ Harmon reacted.

The President claimed he had already ‘road–tested’ this strategy, boasting that he recently ordered the destruction of Iran’s largest bridge in just 10 minutes to ‘force compliance’ when negotiations stalled.

Trump also floated a plan for the US to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge global shipping ‘tolls’ for passage.

‘Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner,’ Trump reasoned, comparing the strategy to his administration’s handling of Venezuelan oil. ‘They are militarily defeated. The only thing they have is the psychology of, oh, we’re gonna drop a couple of mines in the water.’

Still while Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stood at the same podium Monday claiming that US strikes are ramping up to record–breaking volumes every single day, the Pentagon’s own data suggests otherwise.

‘Per the President’s direction, today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one… Tomorrow, even more than today,’ Hegseth told reporters.

However, figures from US Central Command show that the pace of operations has actually fluctuated over the last three weeks, maintaining a steady average of roughly 250 strikes per day rather than the exponential daily increase claimed by the administration.

In one of the briefing’s most notable moments, Trump said that Iranian civilians are actually ‘begging’ the US to continue the bombardment.

‘We’ve had numerous intercepts. Please keep bombing,’ Trump claimed, asserting that civilians living near blast zones would rather suffer through the strikes than live under the current regime. 

He contrasted the ‘precision’ of US forces, bragging that he sees ‘better with goggles at night’ than in daylight, with the ‘brutality’ of regime snipers who he claimed shot female protesters ‘right between the eyes.’

Trump didn’t reserve his vitriol for Iran alone, turning his sights on ‘disappointing’ European allies. He mocked the United Kingdom’s offer of ‘two old, broken aircraft carriers’ and slammed NATO for sitting on the sidelines.

‘I think it’s a mark on NATO that will never disappear,’ Trump said, before boasting that American technology is so superior it recently intercepted 101 out of 101 missiles fired at the USS Abraham Lincoln.

As the 8pm ET Tuesday deadline looms, the world watches to see if Trump’s ‘instincts’ lead to a historic peace deal or the ‘obliteration’ he so vividly described.

Donald Trump has hailed the relentless bombing of Iran alongside a giant Easter Bunny as hundreds of children descended on the White House for the annual Egg Roll.

The President was joined by Melania on the balcony facing the South Lawn as he addressed attendees about the ongoing conflict, including a daring rescue mission over the weekend to save an airman lost behind enemy lines.

‘What about the rescue that took place yesterday, that’s something that you rarely see,’ Trump told the crowd on Monday, adding that it had been pulled off despite a ‘very strong’ enemy.

‘Not so strong like they were about a month ago,’ Trump said, referring to the devastating US-Israel strikes that have decimated Iran’s leadership since they were launched on February 28. 

The President also told reporters at the event he tried to get guns to the people of Iran so they could help him enact regime change in the country, but the plan went sideways after the weapons were stolen by an intermediary. 

‘You know we sent some guns … they were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs … but the people that they sent them to kept them.’

‘I am very upset with a certain group of people and they will pay a big price for that,’ he added. 

Reports earlier this year indicated that the CIA was intent on arming the Kurds in northern Iran by the Iraq border as a part of the war. During the event, Trump reiterated: ‘We’ve had total regime change.’ 

The President also took aim at his former rival Joe Biden. 

Speaking with a child at a drawing table, the President detailed to the youth how Biden at times would sign executive actions and legislation. 

‘Biden was unable to sign his name, so they followed him around with this big machine,’ he explained to the child. 

Trump also autographed some drawings the children presented to him.

‘I could sign autographs for you guys, and then tonight, you could sell them for $25,000 on eBay,’ he told the youngsters. 

The President was also spotted carrying around a printed out rendering of an arch that he wants to build by the Arlington National Cemetery. 

Dubbed Independence Arch, the white structure – which looks similar to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe – was first proposed by Trump in 2025. He was spotted showing off the ne rendering to friends before handing it off to a White House aide.  

Families draped in pastel suits and bright sundresses flooded the White House’s South Lawn for the annual Egg Roll on Monday as military bands blared through blue skies.   

Those in attendance were fortunate enough to score sought-after tickets, which were dispersed to Trump administration employees, friends and those lucky enough to win a ticket lottery. 

Some of the President’s grandchildren were also in attendance as Eric and Lara Trump brought their kids, Luke and Carolina, while Tiffany Trump and her husband, Michael Boulos, were spotted with their son, Alexander.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and his wife, Katie, were also seen alongside their youngsters; while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was spotted with her son Niko. FBI Director Kash Patel, his country music singer girlfriend Alexis Wilkins and other top officials were there. 

The roll on the White House lawn began in 1878 under President Rutherford B Hayes after grouchy lawmakers in Congress banned children and their families from hurling eggs down Capitol Hill, citing concerns over the little feet damaging the landscaping. 

These days, the event draws tens of thousands of people to the White House, where children get to embark on a hunt for real eggs while their parents socialize and a Trump administration official hops around the grounds dressed as the Easter Bunny.  

The main event is the Easter Egg Roll – a traditional game where decorated, hard-boiled eggs are rolled across the White House lawn using just a spoon. The custom historically symbolizes the rolling away of the stone from Christ’s tomb.

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday this summer, the White House wanted the Easter event to drip with patriotic pageantry. 

The eggs for the roll have all been dyed red, white and blue.

Less patriotic, however, possibly more American, are the many corporate sponsors that flocked to the event: Meta hosted a booth on AI, YouTube gave out swag bags, The New York Stock Exchange sponsored a challenge coin creation station, and of course, Coca-Cola provided drinks, including Trump’s favorite – Diet Coke. 

Music was provided by the US Marine Band, Army Band, Navy Band, Air Force Band and the Revolutionary War recreating Army Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps. 

Donald Trump vows to bring Tehran ‘back to the Stone Ages’

President Donald Trump claimed near victory in the Iran war during a low-energy address to the nation Wednesday night in the White House’s Cross Hall. 

The President spoke for under 20 minutes and didn’t announce any major developments – including whether ground troops would need to be deployed or who would take over leadership of the country. 

Instead, he repeated that Operation Epic Fury would conclude ‘shortly,’ noting that the US’s military objectives were ‘nearing completion.’

He also didn’t say what would signal an end to the conflict – just that the fighting would be more intense before it ended. 

‘We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two or three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong,’ Trump warned.

He challenged US allies to go and ‘take’ the Strait of Hormuz, proclaiming that the US didn’t need the oil from the ships that had been blocked by Iran since the conflict began in late February. 

‘I have a suggestion. No. 1, buy oil from the United States of America, we have plenty, we have so much,’ Trump said. 

‘And No. 2, build up some delayed coverage – should have done it before, should have done it with us as we asked – go to the Strait and just take it. Protect it. Use it for yourselves,’ he continued. 

Trump has blasted NATO leaders – and in the past 24 hours threatened to pull out of the historic military alliance – over allies’ refusal to help patrol the Strait of Hormuz. 

Now he said they could do it themselves, saying that ‘Iran has been essentially decimated.’ 

‘The Strait will open up naturally,’ Trump claimed. ‘It will just open up naturally.’ 

‘They’re going to want to be able to sell oil because that’s all they have to try and rebuild,’ the President said of Iran. ‘It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down and stock prices will rapidly go back up.’ 

Trump spoke of Americans’ concerns about high gas prices and blamed the spike entirely on the Islamic regime.

‘Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home,’ the President said. ‘This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers in neighboring countries.’ 

The Iran war helped drive Trump’s poll numbers last month to their lowest ever, according to the Daily Mail/JL Partners polling, bringing him down to 42 percent approval.

Once he started floating a possible ceasefire deal, his numbers quickly climbed back up to 46 percent.

Trump didn’t mention the ceasefire talks during his speech tonight. 

The Daily Mail’s March poll showed that Americans largely blamed gas price increases on Trump and not on the Iranian regime.  

Before tonight’s remarks, the President hadn’t made a major address from the White House on the Iran war since it began last month. 

He used a portion of his address to justify the strikes again – pointing toward the Islamic regime’s history of violence against Americans, Israelis, and their own people.

‘This murderous regime also recently killed 45,000 of their own people, 45,000 dead,’ Trump said. 

‘For these terrorists to have nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat,’ he said.

He called Iran the ‘most violent and thuggish regime on earth’ and said they should never be able to hide behind a ‘nuclear shield.’ 

The President also suggested that Iran was building up additional military capabilities.

‘Iran’s strategy was so obvious,’ he said. 

‘They wanted to produce as many missiles as possible and they did with the longest range possible. And they had some weapons that nobody believed they had. We just learned that out,’ the President described.

Trump also bemoaned that he was the only President forced to do something about the regime.

‘This situation has been going on for 47 years and should have been handled long before I arrived in office,’ he said. 

Trump staged the 18-minute speech in the Cross Hall, where he had delivered remarks in the aftermath of the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during his first term in January 2020. 

He brought up Soleimani Wednesday night, calling him the ‘father of the roadside bomb.’

‘If he lived, we probably would have had a different conversation tonight, but you know what, we’d still be winning and winning big,’ Trump said. 

As he had in 2020, Trump invited a small audience to watch his address – including many Cabinet members. 

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who previously spoke out against striking Iran, were all there to watch. 

It was much more formal than the overnight video clip filmed at Mar-a-Lago and posted on Truth Social that Trump used to announce the US and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran on February 28.  

He opted to do the same throughout the opening weekend of the war, while also making himself available to reporters through phone calls. 

The Daily Mail spoke with him on March 1, where he broke the news that he expected the Iran war to go on for about four weeks.

‘It’s always been a four-week process,’ he said. 

The deadline has been extended since then. 

The conflict hit its month mark on Saturday. 

It was unlikely that Trump would announce anything other than a victory in the war, though the goals have shifted over a month’s time. 

While Trump originally promised the Iranian protesters that ‘help is on its way,’ that suggested he would make moves to get rid of the oppressive Islamic regime that took over the country after the 1979 Iranian revolution. 

The US and Israeli air strikes did take out Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – with Iranian leaders replacing Khamenei with his son, who hasn’t been seen in public – it doesn’t appear that the American military intervention will easily pave the way to an elected democracy.

Still, Trump has boasted that he’s accomplished some form of ‘regime change.’ 

‘We’ve knocked out one regime. We knocked out the second regime. Now we have a group of people that’s very, that are very different. They’re much more reasonable, I think much more – much less radicalized,’ Trump said in the Oval Office Tuesday. 

He made similar claims on Wednesday.

‘Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!’ he posted to Truth Social Wednesday, ahead of his address. 

‘We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!’ the President added. 

Iranian officials continue to deny that they’re engaged in negotiations with Iran, including asking for a ceasefire.  

Trump also made conflicting statements about Iran’s nuclear threat.

Last June, after the completion of Operation Midnight Hammer, he stood in a different spot in the White House’s Cross Hall and said the nuclear sites had been ‘obliterated.’ 

As he launched Operation Epic Fury, he said he did so to stop Iran’s nuclear threat and ensure the Islamic Regime never got its hands on a nuclear weapon. 

On Wednesday, Trump shrugged off Iran’s nuclear threat in an interview with Reuters.

He said Iran’s uranium, which was enriched to up to 60 percent purity, meaning it could quickly be turned into weapons-grade uranium, wasn’t a big problem.

‘That’s so far underground, I don’t care about that,’ he told Reuters. 

‘We’ll always be watching it by satellite,’ he added, saying the country is ‘incapable’ of developing a nuclear weapon now. 

As for the Strait of Hormuz, even before he gave his address, he made it clear that it was somebody else’s problem.  

Donald Trump has announced that Iran’s new leadership is requesting a ceasefire – but warned that any truce is contingent on the Strait of Hormuz opening.

The President claimed that the ‘new regime president’ was ‘much less radicalized and far more intelligent that his predecessors’, without revealing with whom the US was negotiating, in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday morning.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps branded Trump’s claims ‘nonsense’ and said that the Islamic regime would not be moved by his ‘absurd displays.’

Stocks moved higher on Wednesday after staging a relief rally on Tuesday as  Trump signaled he would be prepared to end the Iran war even if Hormuz remains closed. 

The market buoyancy came even as Trump muddied the waters again, writing in his post that a ceasefire would only come when the Strait is ‘open, free, and clear.’

‘Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages,’ he added.

Trump separately said he was considering pulling out of NATO and said he planned to express his ‘disgust’ with the alliance during an address to the nation at 9pm ET which will be focused on the Iran war.

The Pentagon is giving Trump a range of military options, massing thousands of Marines and Paratroopers on Tehran’s doorstep as America’s Arab allies urge the President to seize the opportunity to kill off the regime. 

The USS Tripoli arrived in the Middle East on Friday, composed of around 5,000 sailors and Marines distributed across several warships.

They will soon be joined by the San Diego-based USS Boxer amphibious assault ship, and two other vessels comprising the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. 

Also heading to the region are thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne, who will apparently be accompanied by hundreds of Special Forces. 

The Dow added 363 points, or 0.8 percent, while the S&P 500 was up 0.6 percent and the Nasdaq spiked by 0.7 percent.

Oil prices are also falling, with global benchmark Brent crude down 2 percent, to $102 per barrel, after touching $118 on Tuesday – the highest price since the war started on February 28. 

The national average price for a regular gallon of gas stands at $4.1, up from $2.9 before the war started. 

Trump previously ordered a stand down on military strikes targeting Iranian energy infrastructure as negotiations between Iran and the US continue. 

The five-day ceasefire was later extended to a 10-day halt in targeting Iranian energy plants, power stations and oil wells after the President said the Iranian government requested an extension. 

Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi made a rare appearance on the streets of Tehran last night. 

‘I came to be among the people, to draw energy from the movement on the ground and to enjoy this unity,’ Araghchi told reporters at an evening rally.

‘This popular cohesion is our greatest defense against any external threat.’ 

Ever since the start of the conflict, Trump has sent out a flurry of contradictory messages: from declaring the war is won, to giving the regime ten more days to make a deal, to threatening to ‘completely obliterate’ Iran’s energy infrastructure the Strait of Hormuz was not ‘immediately’ reopened for business.

NATO nations have been taunted as ‘cowards’ and nothing more than a ‘paper tiger’ alliance which the US ‘needs nothing from’, while at other points they are called upon to ‘go to the strait’ and reopen it themselves. 

While the US has said talks with Iran were ongoing and expressed optimism, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday he had received direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff but those did not constitute ‘negotiations’.

Amid mounting hopes for a deal, the US President might deliver an announcement tonight bringing the war to a close, but there is also the possibility he is touting peace as cover for an Easter invasion.

An invasion on Good Friday would coincide with the closure of Wall Street and major European markets for a three-day weekend.

Trump might time the operation for when markets are closed, especially if the military has only short, sharp missions in mind before they reopen.

President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project was temporarily halted Tuesday by a federal judge. 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation had sued the Trump administration after the destruction last fall of the White House’s East Wing. 

The preservation group had most recently argued in court that Trump needed Congressional approval before making such major changes to the White House.  

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote in his decision that no statute ‘comes close’ to giving the President the authority to take on the project without Congressional oversight. 

‘The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!’ Leon wrote.

Leon approved the Trust’s request to have work stopped on the ballroom project amid the legal fight. 

He gave a two-week grace period for the implementation of his order and said construction could continue on portions of the project relevant to the security of the White House. 

‘It is not too late for Congress to authorize the continued construction of the ballroom project,’ he wrote. ‘The President may at any time go to Congress to obtain express authority to construct a ballroom and to do so with private funds.’ 

The judge, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, previously said he believed his decision would be appealed and the case could end up in the Supreme Court.

It was, with the White House appealing the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 

‘President Trump clearly has the legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did. We will immediately appeal this egregious decision and are confident we will prevail,’ spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Mail in a statement. 

The President had responded to the news Tuesday with a furious Truth Social post.

In it, he labeled the National Trust for Historic Preservation a ‘Radical Left Group of Lunatics.’

He then bemoaned how the White House ballroom and his takeover of the Kennedy Center have been the subject of lawsuits, but not the Federal Reserve headquarters renovations nor California Governor Gavin Newsom’s ‘RAILROAD TO NOWHERE.’ 

‘So, the White House Ballroom, and The Trump Kennedy Center, which are under budget, ahead of schedule, and will be among the most magnificent Buildings of their kind anywhere in the World, gets sued by a group that was cut off by Government years ago, but all of the many DISASTERS in our Country are left alone to die,’ Trump posted. ‘Doesn’t make much sense, does it?’ 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a Congressionally chartered organization that was funded by the federal government for 30 years after the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act. 

It now lives off private donations.   

The group cheered Leon’s decision in a statement.

‘We are pleased with Judge Leon’s ruling today to order a halt to any further ballroom construction until the Administration complies with the law and obtains express authorization to go forward,’ said Carol Quillen, the president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

‘This is a win for the American people on a project that forever impacts one of the most beloved and iconic places in our nation,’ she added.

The Trust sued the Trump administration in December after the East Wing had already been turned to rubble and the White House had refused to ensure proper government oversight of the project. 

Trump had argued that approvals weren’t necessary due to the project being completely funded by private donations.

The East Wing demolition had been a shock to many, as neither Trump nor White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had been fully transparent about the plans to tear down the area commonly used to house the offices of the First Lady.

Before the ballroom project began, Trump appointed his Staff Secretary, Will Scharf, to head the National Capital Planning Commission, one of the two panels that generally signs off on federal construction projects in the region. 

Scharf said the NCPC doesn’t oversee demolitions, allowing the East Wing destruction to go unchallenged. 

The Trust pushed the Trump administration to go through the traditional review processes used for these types of projects.

However Trump had stacked the NCPC and the Commission of Fine Arts, the other review group, with aides and allies. 

In February, the Commission of Fine Arts, which commissioners include the President’s 26-year-old executive assistant, fast-tracked the ballroom’s approval without viewing the final design. 

On Thursday, the NCPC is expected to do the same thing during the group’s April meeting. 

In March, dozens of experts and citizens testified to NCPC commissioners over Zoom about the project.

Only one person, in hours of testimony, talked about it positively.

Architects, preservationists and average Americans called it ‘ugly’ and complained about its immense size. 

Hegseth – We know what Russia and China are doing for Iran

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister and told him to stop attacking Iran’s oil fields, a move that sent fuel prices skyrocketing.

Trump was asked in the Oval Office if he had talked to Bibi after the President sent out a long-winded Truth Social post Wednesday night condemning the dramatic escalation in the Iran war. 

An Israeli strike had set ablaze the South Pars, with Iran retaliating against Gulf nations, including on the LNG plant in Qatar.

‘Yeah, I did. I did,’ Trump said, confirming a conversation with Netanyahu. ‘I told them, “don’t do that.” And he won’t do that.

‘We didn’t discuss, we do – we’re independent, we get along great, it’s coordinated, but on occasion he’ll do something and if I don’t like it – so we’re not doing that anymore,’ the President added. 

The Iran war already has Americans feeling pain at the pump, with gas prices up to $3.90 a gallon nationally, compared to the $2.90 a gallon it was costing before the strikes began on February 28. 

In his Truth Social post, Trump said the US ‘knew nothing’ about Israel’s plans to hit South Pars, though threatened to ‘massively blow up’ the whole oil field if Iran were to retaliate again. 

‘I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long-term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so,’ Trump warned. 

Allies in both the Middle East and Europe were left furious over Israel’s move, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling the move ‘reckless.’ 

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada also slammed Iran on Thursday for attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. 

‘We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,’ the joint statement read. 

Trump has raged against NATO – of which the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada are members – for not immediately offering to assist in protecting commercial ships from Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz – a major global shipping lane.

His Oval Office meeting on Thursday was with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a political ally, who told the President that she believed, despite the current Iranian conflict, which Trump signed off on, only he could ‘achieve peace across the world.’ 

During their sit-down, Trump praised Japan’s apparent willingness to help patrol the Strait of Hormuz.

‘We’ve had tremendous support and relationship with Japan on everything, and I believe that based on statements that were given to us yesterday, the day before yesterday, having to do with Japan, they are really stepping up to the plate.’

‘Unlike NATO,’ the President added. 

He also complained of NATO: ‘They don’t want to help us defend the Strait, and they’re the ones that need it.

‘But now they’re getting much nicer, because they’re seeing my attitude,’ he continued. ‘But it’s, as far as I’m concerned, it’s too late.’ 

Trump’s February 28 decision to strike Iran has left some world leaders bewildered, as allies weren’t informed of those plans ahead of time.

In the Oval Office, a Japanese reporter asked the President why he left allies, like Japan, in the dark.  

To that, Trump gave a shocking response. 

‘You don’t want to signal too much… we wanted surprise,’ Trump answered in the Oval Office. 

‘Who knows better about surprise than Japan?’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor!’ 

The Japanese attacked the Americans on December 7, 1941, at a naval base in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which brought the US into World War II.