‘There is no longer Mr. Nice Guy’: Trump threatens Iran as war enters 3rd month – National
Talks between Iran and the United States on ending the war appeared to have stalled on Wednesday, despite US President Donald Trump earlier saying that Iran had informed his administration that it was in a “state of collapse.”
In his post on Truth Social, Trump criticized Iran’s handling of the nuclear negotiations, saying it failed to reach an agreement.
“Iran can’t get its act together. They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better smarten up soon!” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said its weekly oil import bill has increased by nearly 167 percent due to the rise in global oil prices. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the weekly oil import bill has increased from $300 million before the Middle East conflict to $800 million.
In the same message, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the US-Israeli war, combined with retaliation from Iran such as suffocating the Strait of Hormuz, is costing the European Union about 500 million euros ($600 million) a day, raising prices at the pumps and fearing a shortage of aviation fuel in a few weeks.
Here’s the latest:
Merz says relationship with Trump ‘as good as ever’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his relationship with President Donald Trump is still “as good as ever,” but said he had “skepticism from the beginning about starting there with the Iran war.”
“We are suffering a lot in Germany and in Europe because of the consequences, for example, of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Merz said on Wednesday. This hurts the energy supply and the economy. “And with that, I urge that this dispute be resolved.”
Trump had previously attacked Merz on his Truth Social forum: “The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” Trump wrote.
Trump was responding to Merz’s comments on Monday, in which the German chancellor said the US was “humiliated” by Iran’s leadership and criticized Washington’s lack of strategy in the war.
Trump says Iran ‘better get smarter soon’
US President Donald Trump has criticized the way Iran is handling the nuclear negotiations, saying it has failed to reach an agreement.
“Iran can’t get its act together. They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better smarten up soon!” wrote in Truth Social.
Trump’s post featured an AI-generated image of himself holding a gun during an explosion with the caption “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY.”
Tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program rose before the war, with Trump vowing repeatedly to make sure the country could not build a nuclear weapon. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, even though it has enriched uranium almost to weapons-grade levels.
Iran has killed at least 21 people since the war began
The UN human rights chief said Iran has killed at least 21 people since the war with the United States and Israel began on February 28.
Volker Türk says at least nine people were killed in connection with the mass protests in Iran in January, while another 10 were killed for alleged membership in opposition groups, and two more for espionage.
More than 4,000 people have been arrested on security-related charges in Iran since the end of February, his office said.
A Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli strike
A Lebanese army soldier was killed on Wednesday along with his brother in an Israeli strike that targeted the motorcycle they were traveling on from where he was working for the soldier to his home in the village of al-Souaneh, the army said in a statement.
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Lebanese soldiers stand by during Israel’s latest war with Hezbollah, which began on March 2 when the militant group attacked Israel, two days after the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran. But soldiers are often caught in the crossfire.
20 Lebanese soldiers have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, most of them on their way to and from duty stations, the military said. In total, more than 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon during the war and during the strict peace that was implemented earlier this month that has reduced but stopped the war.
Iran’s most enriched uranium may be in Isfahan, says IAEA
Most of Iran’s most enriched uranium may still be at its Isfahan nuclear site, which was hit by airstrikes last year and suffered the worst attack in this year’s US-Israeli war, the head of the UN nuclear agency told the Associated Press.
Rafael Grossi said in an interview on Tuesday that the International Atomic Energy Agency has satellite images showing the results of recent US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran and that “we continue to receive information.”
IAEA inspections ended in Isfahan when Israel last June launched a 12-day war in which the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.
The UN nuclear watchdog believes that a large percentage of Iran’s highly enriched uranium “was stored there in June 2025 when the 12-day war broke out, and has been there ever since,” Grossi said.
Pakistan’s weekly oil debt rises to $800M from $300M before Iran war
Pakistan’s weekly oil import bill has increased by nearly 167 percent due to rising global oil prices, adding to the strain on the country’s fragile economy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday.
In a televised address to a Cabinet meeting, Sharif said the weekly oil import bill had risen from $300 million before the conflict to $800 million.
He said the government is taking steps to save electricity and reduce oil consumption, and said efforts to promote peace are ongoing.
The EU is losing $600M a day due to the war’s impact on energy prices
European Union countries must spend their energy aid mainly on vulnerable households and industries or risk wasting billions of euros as the war in Iran hits oil and gas prices, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Wednesday.
The US-Israeli war, combined with retaliation from Iran such as choking the Strait of Hormuz, is costing the EU about 500 million euros ($600 million) a day, raising pump prices and fears of a shortage of jet fuel within weeks.
Von der Leyen said the world’s largest trade body must focus on the lessons of the 2022 fuel crisis – when Russia uses its power against European countries to undermine its support for Ukraine – to avoid damaging its economy.
More than 350 billion euros “were spent in ways that were not intended and this had a significant impact on the finances of member states,” he told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France. “So let’s not make the same mistake again, and focus our support where it matters most.”
Iran’s rial currency has fallen sharply
Iran’s national currency the rial hit a record high of 1.8 million on Wednesday to $1 as a tense ceasefire agreement with the US and Israel remains.
The rial remained stable for weeks during the war, which began on Feb. 28, partly because there was little trade or importation.
The rial began to slide two days ago, hitting a record low on Wednesday.
Experts warn that the rial’s fall could further fuel inflation in a country where many imports, from food and medicine to electronics and appliances, are affected by the dollar’s value.
The war is now over, but the US embargo has continued to increase pressure on Iran’s already battered economy, making it an important source of government revenue and hard currency by halting or curtailing oil exports.
Pakistan continues efforts to reduce US-Iran tensions, says Prime Minister
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that his government is continuing efforts to reduce tensions between the United States and Iran.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting in Islamabad, he said a “marathon session” was held in the capital during the first round of direct talks between the two sides on April 11, leading to progress on the remaining disarmament.
He said that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan over the weekend during the ceasefire, where there was another extended dialogue between Iran and Pakistan. Araghchi later went to Oman, came back for a while, and then went to Russia, Sharif said.
Sharif said that before going to Moscow, Araghchi spoke to him by phone and “he assured me that after consulting with his leadership, he will respond as soon as possible.” He did not specify what Araghchi would answer, but Pakistan said it wants to host a second round of talks between the United States and Iran.
Hegseth will face Congress for the first time since the Iran war began
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face questions from members of Congress for the first time since the start of the Iran war.
Wednesday’s hearing before the House Armed Services Committee will focus on Trump’s $1.5 trillion military budget for 2027.
Democratic lawmakers are likely to cheer Hegseth on the cost of the Iran war and a major drawdown of critical weapons. While the ceasefire is now in place, the US and Israel went to war on Feb. 28 without congressional oversight.
