Major developments we’re following:
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing to ramp up economic pain on Iran by levying secondary sanctions on financial institutions that do business with the Middle Eastern nation. Bessent called the measure the “financial equivalent” of the bombing campaign.
- Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump claimed that China has agreed not to provide weapons to Iran. China’s Foreign Ministry has denied reports that Beijing has considered transferring arms.
- The commander of Iran’s joint military command on Wednesday threatened to halt trade in the Gulf region if the U.S. does not lift its blockade on Iranian ports. No vessels have made it past U.S. naval forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade, according to the U.S. Central Command. Even so, Trump said Wednesday the war in Iran was “very close to over.”
- A Pakistani delegation arrived Wednesday for talks in Tehran, in the latest diplomatic move to arrange a second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. The White House confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. hasn’t formally agreed to extend the ceasefire, though talks with Iran are ongoing.
- Israel, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with its aerial and ground war in Lebanon, where more than 2,100 people have been killed. The country’s National News Agency reported airstrikes and artillery shelling throughout southern Lebanon on Wednesday, where Israeli forces have encircled fighters with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A day ago, the two nations held their first direct talks in decades.
Source: AP news
