As 10,000 more U.S. troops head to the Persian Gulf, Trump promises the war will soon be over. The Senate failed again to check the President’s military actions. China looks to pry America’s allies loose, accusing the U.S. of destabilizing the world. Macron and Starmer followed China’s lead, holding a joint conference on the Strait of Hormuz.
The French president wrote on X that the gathering would include “non-belligerent countries ready to contribute, alongside us, to a multilateral and purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait when security conditions allow.”
Iran war ‘close to over’, says Trump. Sends 10k new troops– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
News Source
EXCERPT:
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the war he launched with Israel on Iran was “close to over”, even as 10,000 additional US troops move into West Asia, and Pakistan army chief Asim Munir arrived in Tehran with a mediation team to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict. Quoting current and former US officials, The Washington Post reported that the US was sending the additional troops before the end of April as Washington tries to increase pressure on Tehran.
These include forces aboard the USS George H W Bush and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group. It was previously announced that roughly 50,000 troops had been involved in operations in the war on Iran.The build-up comes amid efforts to extend the two-week ceasefire between US and Iran. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Munir, who mediated the last round of talks, was in Iran “to narrow gaps” between the two sides. “I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” Trump told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, according to a post by the reporter on X, adding he did not think it would be necessary to extend the ceasefire. “I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean I view it as very close to over,” Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network conducted Tuesday and broadcast Wednesday. “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
News Source
EXCERPT:
China’s Xi says rule of law must be upheld for Middle East peace – channelnewsasia.com
The international rule of law must be upheld for peace and stability to prevail in the Middle East, China’s President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday (Apr 14), in a rebuke of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
While Beijing has repeatedly criticised the US-Israeli campaign as illegal, Xi has made few public comments about the conflict. He will hold talks with US President Donald Trump in an expected meeting in Beijing next month.
The rule of law cannot be “used when convenient and discarded when not”, Xi told Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the visiting crown prince of Abu Dhabi, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Xi vowed that China would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace talks in the Middle East, according to Xinhua.
His comments were part of four proposals he had put forth as a way to encourage peace in the region, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“The sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the Gulf countries in the Middle East should be sincerely respected,” Xi said.
News Source
EXCERPT:
Trump snubbed from Macron’s Iran talks as Europe plans Strait of Hormuz mission – mirror.co.uk
US President Trump risks being sidelined by an angry Europe tomorrow over his “belligerent” Iran position.
French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that France will host a diplomatic summit with the UK in Paris on Friday to tackle the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
This summit will exclude Trump. Macron wrote on X, calling for the strait to be opened ‘as soon as possible.’
After speaking with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Macron announced the gathering would include ‘non-belligerent countries ready to contribute, alongside us, to a multilateral and purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait when security conditions allow.’, reports the Express.
The summit arrives as Trump begins to be shut out by multiple European nations from post-war Middle East discussions.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales stated: “The United States doesn’t need help from any other country – the blockade is working perfectly, implemented by the greatest Navy in the world, while Iran’s navy is at the bottom of the ocean.”
