Trump claims he’s nearly ready to end war as airstrikes batter Tehran (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

READ MORE: US seeks to pass the buck on Hormuz crisis

Iran is “selling more oil now than before the war, at a price almost three times as high,” while many in Washington still misread its willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz, Trita Parsi, co‑founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, has told RT’s ‘Sanchez Effect’. He warned that a US ground invasion would be a “disastrous mistake” for Trump, arguing the president would lose his own base once American soldiers start dying and risk being trapped in an Iraq‑style quagmire with no clear exit.

Why are US drivers paying more at the pump even though America is the world’s biggest oil producer?

• The US produces about 13 million barrels of crude a day, but exports around 11 million and imports roughly eight million

• Gasoline is priced on a global market, so US motorists pay more whenever world oil prices rise, regardless of where the crude comes from

• Much US output is ‘light’ crude, while many refineries are set up for heavier grades, so a large share of fuel still comes from imported oil, whose price has jumped amid the Iran war

The IRGC has reportedly claimed it carried out a combined strike on a location housing US pilots and aircrew in Saudi Arabia, hitting a gathering of around 200 people. Several explosions rocked Riyadh on Tuesday, according to AFP, in the latest wave of bombings targeting the Saudi capital amid escalating Middle East tensions.

READ MORE: More countries pick sides in genocide case against Israel

Israeli MP Ofer Cassif has denounced a new death‑penalty bill approved by the Knesset on Monday, as “genocidal,” telling RT it applies “solely to Palestinians” in the West Bank while explicitly excluding Jewish settlers and “Jewish terrorists.” Citing clauses that would allow executions within 90 to 180 days, he said the law’s intent is “not security, not deterrence, but racial hatred, revenge and genocidal means,” describing it as “industrial killing, another aspect of genocide.”

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Most powerful energy crisis in human history is looming – Putin envoy

The EU is facing a “very serious” and prolonged energy crisis due to the war in the Middle East, EU energy chief Dan Jorgensen has warned, according to Politico, urging less travel and saving fuel. “The more you can do to save oil, especially diesel, especially jet fuel, the better we are off,” he reportedly said after an emergency meeting, referring to IEA advice such as working from home where possible, lowering speed limits and boosting public transport and car‑sharing.  

READ MORE: Europe to face fuel shortage – Shell CEO

Oil and gas prices have spiked since the escalation of the Middle East conflict, triggered by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region, which have effectively closed of the critical Strait of Hormuz to Western shipping. The EU was already grappling with the fallout from its decision to cut energy ties with Russia following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, as well as the costs of its green transition policies. The European Commission says there will be no return to Russian energy, and it will continue to pursue a full phase-out of Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry says a female foreign journalist was kidnapped in central Baghdad on Tuesday evening and that security forces have launched an operation to track down those responsible and secure her release. US‑based outlet Al‑Monitor has identified her as American reporter Shelly Kittleson, saying it is “deeply alarmed” by her abduction and calling for her “safe and immediate release,” while US officials told CNN they are working with Iraqi authorities and “closely tracking” the case.

Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa has said his country will stay out of the US‑Israeli war against Iran unless Syria itself comes under attack and has no diplomatic way out. “Syria will remain outside any conflict,” he reportedly said in a speech at Chatham House in London.

The UAE’s national carrier Emirates has updated its visa guidance to state that Iranian nationals are currently “not eligible to obtain a visa” for travel to the country. Iranian media and expatriates have also reported that residency and tourist visas held by some Iranians outside the UAE have been cancelled in recent days, preventing their re‑entry as bilateral ties worsen following Iranian strikes on Emirati territory.

READ MORE: Israel to occupy southern Lebanon – defense minister

Israel may be able to push a bit deeper into southern Lebanon but is unlikely to hold territory there in the long run, Professor Naim Joseph Salem, an international affairs scholar at the Lebanese Army Military Academy, has told RT. He said “gone are the days when Israel could sweep across its neighboring countries,” noting that despite amassing some 100,000 troops, the IDF has advanced only a few kilometers while facing “very difficult” resistance from a few thousand Hezbollah fighters and will struggle to stay on the ground. 

A US-Israeli attack has rocked a major steel plant in Isfahan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

So far, no information has been released about the extent of the damage or number of casualties.