Donald Trump has stated that Iran is seeking negotiations to end the ongoing Middle East skirmish, even as the conflict threatens British jobs. The US president characterised the situation as a skirmish proceeding very smoothly, despite a fragile ceasefire and a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz that has sent petrol prices soaring globally and stirred discontent at home.
Trump's warning and naval actions
Earlier, Mr Trump cautioned Tehran that bombing would commence if an agreement is not reached. Citing great progress in peace talks, he paused a brief naval mission to reopen the strait, which has left around 1,500 vessels stranded. Iran's effective blockade of the waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil typically flows, has driven up energy prices worldwide.
The White House is urging China to leverage its ties with Iran to reopen the strait, ahead of Mr Trump's high-profile visit to Beijing next week. However, a blockade of Iran's ports remains, with the US military reporting over 50 cargo ships turned back. Tensions flared when a US fighter jet shot and disabled a tanker's rudder as it attempted to break through, according to US Central Command.
Trump's remarks at military event
Speaking at a military Mother's Day event at the White House, Mr Trump downplayed the conflict: I call it a skirmish, because that's what it is. It's a skirmish, and we're doing unbelievably well. He added, We're doing very well in Iran. It's going very smoothly, and we'll see what happens. They want to make a deal, they want to negotiate, and I think that military mothers would want to hear that.
Mr Trump also boasted of the navy's performance: The blockade is unbelievable. The navy has been incredible, the job they did. It's like a wall of steel, nobody goes through. In particular the Iranians, they're not getting anything through one way or the other, so they're out of business. We'll see whether or not they are agreeing, and if they don't agree, they'll end up agreeing shortly thereafter.
Earlier on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote: If they don't agree, the bombing starts.
UK economic warning
Meanwhile, the UK Government has cautioned about the economic fallout from the US-Israeli war with Iran. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Sky News: The latest unemployment figures for February showed a fall, interest rates were expected to come down, the markets were pricing in a couple of cuts during the course of the year. The truth is, with the effect of the Iran war, we can't count on any of that at the moment. There is likely to be an effect on prices, which feeds through from energy costs, and there may well be labour market implications.
When asked if this meant job losses, Mr McFadden replied: Yes. It could happen.
