Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to open the strait of Hormuz by 10 days to April 6 after saying talks are “going very well”. Iran has strenuously denied it is “begging to make a deal”, as Trump claimed, and continued its retaliatory strikes across a swathe of the Middle East on Thursday. In the meantime, we’ll just keep blowing them away.” Later Trump added: “They want to make a deal. Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said Tangsiri had been “directly responsible for the terror operation of mining and blocking the strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic”. Iran in effect closed the strait, a critical waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes, to almost all shipping in the first days of the conflict.

Source: Irish Examiner March 27, 2026 10:49 UTC