Trump says Iran’s president wants a ceasefire ahead of his address to Americans

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran’s president wanted a ceasefire ahead of his speech to the American people. Trump made the claim on his Truth Social website. Iran had no immediate response to Trump’s post.

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors. It comes as thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division have also begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other U.S. officials.

Meanwhile, U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses’ transportation and packaging costs pile up.

Here is the latest:

The war in Iran is also delaying the arrival of food aid

In addition to gas and oil stuck in the Persian gulf, urgent food aid destined for Sudan and Afghanistan is also facing severe delays, the UN agency for hunger emergencies, World Food Program, warned.

“Think of special nutritious foods required for Sudan,” Corinne Fleischer, WFP director of supply chain, told the AP. “Mothers and children are malnourished and they need this vitamin and mineral enriched food. We produced this in Pakistan as one of the countries. That is now stuck there.”

Fleischer explained that due to the risks of attacks in the southern part of the Red Sea, carriers now have to go all the way down through the Cape of Good Hope in Africa to reach West Africa.

Trump claims Iran president wants ceasefire; no response from Iran

President Trump on Wednesday claimed Iran’s president wanted a ceasefire ahead of his speech to the American people.

Trump made the claim on his Truth Social website.

Trump said “Iran’s New Regime President,” however. Iran still has the same president.

Trump also said a ceasefire would only happen when the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, clear.”

“Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” he wrote.

Iran had no immediate response to Trump’s post. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an interview with Al Jazeera aired late Tuesday signaled Tehran’s willingness to keep fighting.

“You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines,” he said. “We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.”

Pakistan receives oil shipments after Iran permits more ships via Strait of Hormuz

A Pakistani vessel carrying oil arrived at the southern port city of Karachi after transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while a second vessel reached the port via a different route, a Karachi Port Trust spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Shariq Farooqi said more Pakistani-flagged ships are expected this month to deliver much-needed oil from Gulf countries.

The development comes days after Pakistan’s foreign minister said Iran had agreed to allow 20 additional Pakistani-flagged ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, describing the move as a “constructive gesture” aimed at easing regional tensions.

Pakistan is also seeking to help end the conflict between the United States and Iran by encouraging both sides to return to negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical artery for global oil shipments.

PHOTO- AP