Trump extended the duration of his ultimatum to Iran

Donald Trump yesterday extended by another 10 days (until Monday, April 6 at 20:00 local time) the duration of his ultimatum to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, otherwise he will order strikes on its energy infrastructure.

At the same time, he assured that talks with Tehran—which was hit early in the morning by new airstrikes from Israel—are “going very well,” despite the fact that the Iranian side rejected the 15-point peace plan announced by the American president on Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived today in France, an AFP journalist reported, for the second day of the G7, during which he is expected to press his counterparts to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing war.

Due to the disagreement, oil prices recorded a sharp increase (+5.7%), reaching $108.01 per barrel yesterday.

U.S. media report that the White House and the U.S. Department of Defense are considering sending at least 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East in the coming days.

The aim is to provide the American president with more military options, the The Wall Street Journal noted, citing Defense Department officials.

This force, which will likely include infantry and armored vehicles, will be added to the approximately 5,000 Marines and the thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division already deployed in the region, the The Wall Street Journal reported.

Sourced: Reuters, Wall Street Journal