Live updates: Dozens of nations meet to discuss reopening Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump says U.S. forces will intensify strikes on Iran over the next two to three weeks, claiming operations have already met or exceeded expectations. He warned the campaign would hit the country "very hard," signaling more attacks in the near future. 

Trump did not address potential negotiations or revisit his April 6 deadline tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments. He previously threatened to target Iran's energy infrastructure if access to the waterway isn't restored. 

He also offered no clear strategy for easy supply disruptions or stabilizing rising energy costs, and made no mention of deploying U.S. ground troops or working with NATO. 

Markets reacted quickly. Oil prices surged more than 6%, with Brent crude topping $106 per barrel and U.S. crude climbing above $104. Gas prices in the U.S. have now surpassed $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022, raising concerns about broader impacts on consumer goods. 

Here is the latest from Thursday:

Dozens of nations gather to talk about securing the Strait of Hormuz

9:45 a.m. ET: Thursday morning, 35 countries gathered to talk about political measures of opening the Strait of Hormuz and potential security once diplomacy ends. 

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper hosted the virtual meeting, and said the meeting showed "the strength of our international determination" to reopen the strait.

No representative from the United States attended, as President Trump has indicated the opening of the strait is not America's job.

Iran has attacked several commercial ships in the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the ocean. Traffic has dropped 94% over the past month, according to the Lloyds List intelligence shipping data firm. 

Several of the countries present at the virtual meeting signed a declaration last month demanding Iran stop blocking the strait.

No country is planning on attempting to reopen the strait by force while the conflict there is ongoing. 

There is a concern that Iran may continue to limit traffic through the strait even after the U.S. and Israel conclude their offensive attacks, prompting Cooper to accuse Iran of holding the world's economy hostage.

French president: "This is not our operation"

9:20 a.m. ET: French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters Thursday that the United States started a war without consulting anyone, so they shouldn't complain about lack of support from its allies. 

"They can hardly complain afterward that they are not being supported in an operation they chose to undertake alone. This is not our operation," Macron told said. "What we want is for peace to be restored as quickly as possible."

"When you have committed to an alliance, you live up to those commitments. You do not comment on them every morning. And the day there is a problem, you are there," Macron added.

Iran claims 7 million ready to fight US if invaded

8:45 a.m. ET: Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, claims the country has 7 million Iranians who are ready to stand and fight in the event U.S. forces invade the country.

"Right now, in less than a week, a powerful national campaign sweeping the country has brought forward around 7 million Iranians who have already stepped up and declared they’re ready to pick up arms and stand in defense of our nation," he wrote on X.

Qalibaf has previously been discussed as a possible negotiating partner with the U.S.

Iranian state media and text message campaigns have urged people to volunteer. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basii force has begun taking in children as young as 12 into their ranks. 

Iran warns no one will survive in ground invasion

6:35 a.m. ET: Iran's army chief sent a warning in the event of a U.S. ground invasion. 

Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami spoke on Iranian state television saying, "not a single person" will survive if the U.S. military enters the Islamic Republic. 

"The shadow of war must be lifted from our country and there must be security for everyone, because it is not possible for places to be safe and our people to be unsafe," he added.

Trump addresses the nation

Trump on Wednesday delivered a prime time address to the nation regarding Operation Epic Fury and the war in Iran. 

Trump spent much of his time repeating some of the same things he said in recent weeks.

The president stressed that U.S. military forces will "finish the job" in Iran soon and that "core strategic objectives are nearing completion." 

What they're saying:

"For years, everyone has said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. But in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes," Trump said. "The situation has been going on for 47 years and should’ve been handled long before I arrived in office," he said.

Big picture view:

Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war.

Polling, meanwhile, shows many Americans feel the U.S. military has gone too far in Iran — even as more American troops move into the region for a possible ground offensive. 

War in Iran

The backstory:

The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Feb. 28.

Iran’s supreme leader, as well as a dozen other leaders, were killed in a matter of days following the surprise attack.

By the numbers:

Thousands of U.S. service members have been sent to the Middle East and 13 have been killed. 

 

 

Iran WarU.S.World