New threats and tensions rattle Iran ceasefire and test peace push

The Iran ceasefire and peace talks this week are hanging by a thread as tensions boil over the strategic waterway that epitomizes Tehran’s new leverage and a conflict that critics warn has escaped President Donald Trump’s control.
On Friday, Trump said Iran had “agreed to everything,” prompting a stock market rally on hopes the war could soon end. But by Sunday, this looked like another case of overhyping diplomacy, and the president was again threatening to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants, and Tehran had shut the S

Oil price plunge on US-Iran peace hopes to give rupee, bonds some breather

By Dharamraj Dhutia and Jaspreet Kalra
MUMBAI, April 20 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee and government bonds this week will be comforted by a drop in oil prices even as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill, days before a ‌ceasefire between the United States and Iran is set to expire.
Brent crude oil prices fell sharply on Friday and could experience ‌fresh volatility this week after U.S. President Donald Trump said his envoys would return to Pakistan for fresh talks with Iran, while threatenin

Nations gather for first-ever conference on fossil fuel exit

More than 50 nations are attending a world-first conference on phasing out fossil fuels in Colombia next week as the Iran war underscores how dependent countries remain on planet-heating coal, oil and gas.
Ministers arrive in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta against a backdrop of wartime fuel shortages, soaring prices and a scramble for energy security in what the International Energy Agency has called the biggest oil supply shock ever.
The gathering was born out of frustration with consensus-based United Nations climate talks,

US seizes Iranian-flagged ship near Strait of Hormuz and Tehran vows to respond

The United States said it attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first interception since its blockade of Iranian ports began last week.
Iran will respond soon, its state broadcaster said later, calling the armed boarding an act of piracy.
The events threw into question both the fragile ceasefire and President Donald Trump’s earlier announcement that US negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of

Poll: Trump's approval rating hits second-term low as Americans sour on the economy and Iran war

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has sunk to a new low as Americans express growing concerns about rising costs and the war with Iran, according to an NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.
Overall, 37% of adults approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 63% disapprove — including 50% who said they disapprove strongly — putting his job rating at the lowest point of his second term in NBC News Decision Desk polling. Two-thirds of respondents also disapproved of

Trump says US forcibly seized Iran-flagged ship near Strait of Hormuz that tried...

President Donald Trump said the U.S. forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week.
Trump on social media said the ship was warned by a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman to stop, but it did not. He said the Navy “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom” and that U.S. Marines had custody of the vessel

Iranians fear harsher regime crackdown after war with US ends

Behind peaceful scenes, Iran's economy is in tatters, and people are fearful of a new government clampdown and angry about the destructive airstrikes.
Iranians striving to maintain a semblance of normal life after weeks of US and Israeli bombing and a deadly crackdown on protesters in January remain daunted by the future as damage from airstrikes and internet cuts take a toll.
With Iran and the US wrangling over a truce extension and a deal to end the conflict, shops, restaurants, and government offices have remained open. On s

Trump says US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran

https://www.chicagotribune...

Iran doubles down on closing the Strait of Hormuz as the ceasefire inches toward expiration

CAIRO (AP) — Iran doubled down on its pledge to restrict ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, as mediators scrambled to extend the ceasefire set to expire on Wednesday.
The dueling blockades have complicated Pakistani-led mediation attempts and raised questions about whether the two-week truce can be extended.
“It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohamme

Why one ****** yst thinks the US economy will be feeling the Iran-fueled inflation shock for years to...

Chris Whalen thinks hot inflation will weigh on the US economy for years after the Iran war ends.
The veteran ****** yst says supply disruptions in the Middle East will take a long time to normalize.
He said he expected inflation to rise to the high single-digits, about double its current rate.
Investors see the Iran war as all but over, but a market vet warns the effects will be felt a lot longer than Wall Street might realize.
Chris Whalen, an investment banker, longtime ****** yst

Britain is the most inflation-prone nation in the G7. That was true before the Iran war

Heavy reliance on imported energy and food leaves the UK extremely vulnerable

https://www.telegraph.co.u...

The Latest: Standoff escalates after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over US blockade

Iran reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The escalating standoff over the critical chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence a new deal was within reach.
The strait is closed until the U.S. blockade is lifted, Iran’s Revolutionary Gu

Iran War Live News Updates: Ships Attacked as Iranian Forces Declare Strait of Hormuz Closed

https://www.wsj.com/liveco...

Ossoff criticizes Trump on health care, Iran, 'corruption' in Augusta

Lowering health care premiums and returning consumers to financial affordability mean electing leaders instead of rulers, the state's senior U.S. senator said during a campaign swing through Augusta on Saturday.
With public criticism mounting against the Trump administration's handling of the economy, rising health care premiums and a war with Iran, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff mounted an offensive to urge voters to fight for the ways of life he said they deserve.
"We were told MAGA was for the working class. Do you

Stock market today: Dow soars over 1,000 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq surge on news of 2-week US-Iran...

US stocks surged on Wednesday, while oil prices cratered amid relief after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that could lead to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) soared 2.5%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) vaulted 3.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) jumped 2.9%, or over 1,300 points.
Global markets saw a return of risk appetite after President Trump called for a two-week suspension in hostilities in return for Tehra

Stock Futures Soar After U.S., Iran Walk Back From the Brink

Oil prices plunged, stock futures surged and government bond yields sank after President Trump said he had agreed to a cease-fire with Iran if the Strait of Hormuz reopened immediately.
The pause in hostilities sparked relief among investors who feared the war was about to spiral into a dangerous new phase that could inflict even graver damage to the global economy. The immediate question for the financial world now is whether tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf can start to sail out and deliver much-needed supplies to increasing

Starmer travels to Middle East to 'support and sustain' ceasefire

ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston is travelling with the prime minister on his trip to the Middle East following the ceasefire between the US and Iran
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran overnight as he travels to the Middle East to meet leaders of Gulf countries.
Downing Street said the prime minister would use his visit to the Gulf on Wednesday to make clear the UK’s commitment to de-escalation and hold further talks on “practical efforts” to restore freedom of

Bitcoin Price Surges Above $70,000. Ethereum, XRP Jump as Cryptos Rally on Iran Hope.

April 08, 2026, 2:52 am EDT
The price of Bitcoin
BTCUSD
+3.96%
and other cryptocurrencies was rising sharply Wednesday amid relief after the U.S. and Iran agreed a 14-day cease-fire pending negotiations to secure a permanent peace deal.
BTCUSD
+3.96%

https://www.barrons.com/ar...

Efforts continue to address Iowa farmers’ demands

Iowa farmers are raising concern for what some state lawmakers are calling an agriculture economy downturn. A timely issue for farmers revolves around their access to fertilizer supplies. Nitrogen is a key import for fertilizer.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the war in Iran has disrupted fertilizer production and trade. John Whitaker is a Henry County farmer who says agriculture policy is “pragmatic” and bipartisan.
“Farmers never did like to get money from the mailbox, they want money from the market. We

Cramer says Tuesday’s stock market action gives investors a glimpse of the U.S. economy’s fate if Ir...

Monday - Friday, 6:00 - 7:00 PM ET
In this article
Want to know what’s next for the economy if the U.S.-Iran war persists? CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Tuesday’s stock market action gave investors a warning.
Despite eking out a small last-minute gain, the S&P 500
was down for most of the session as President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to strike a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz approached with little signs of progress, dimming hopes of a resolution between the two countries. Trum

Iran ceasefire deal a partial win for Trump - but at a high cost

In the end, cooler heads prevailed – at least for now.
At 18:32 Washington time, President Donald Trump posted on his social media website that the US and Iran were "very far along" with a "definitive" peace agreement and that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire to allow negotiations to proceed.
It wasn't exactly the last minute, but with Trump's looming 20:00 EDT (00:00 GMT on Wednesday) deadline to reach a deal or the US would launch massive strikes against Iranian energy and transportation infrastructure, it came pretty

Egypt's foreign minister has met with President Donald Trump's envoy and regional counterparts as part of a renewed push to de-escalate the conflict involving Iran, according to a report.

https://t.co/K1kSAIMzzN
https://t.co/K1kSAIMzzN

Iran war ceasefire pushes energy markets into twilight zone

Commentary
Ron Bousso

https://www.reuters.com/bu...

Trump agrees to two-week Iran ceasefire, drops threat to destroy 'whole civilization'

By Steve Holland, Parisa Hafezi, Enas Alashray and Ahmed Tolba
WASHINGTON/DUBAI/CAIRO, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
Trump's announcement on social media represented an abrupt turnaround from earlier in the day, ‌when he issued an extraordinary warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight

Donald Trump's good news might be short-lived

PUBLISHED
APR 07, 2026 AT 09:14 PM EDT
Oil futures tumbled on Tuesday after President Donald Trump announced a two‑week ceasefire with Iran, offering a rare moment of relief for energy markets rattled by weeks of war and threats around the Strait of Hormuz, but the administration will have to tread carefully if they want those benefits to trickle down to American consumers.
The Trump administration has been plagued by an economy that's falling well short of Americans' expectations for the president. It's contributing to the drop his approval

4 ways Trump has suggested the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened — and why they're a tough lift

President Donald Trump made clear Tuesday that the fate of the Iranian people — and their civilization — is in his hands as he threatens to bomb them back to the “stone ages.”
But the Iranian regime has a trump card too: continuing its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy chokepoint so vital that decisions made today could determine the global economy for months, even years, to come. Oil and gas shortages as a result of Iran’s blockade have already caused a crisis in parts of Asia

China and Russia veto UN resolution on protecting Hormuz shipping

By David Brunnstrom
April 7 (Reuters) - China and Russia on Tuesday vetoed a U.N. resolution encouraging states to coordinate efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the measure biased against Iran, while Washington's ambassador to the world body called on "responsible nations" to ‌join the U.S. in securing the waterway.
The 15-member Security Council voted 11 in favor of the resolution presented by Bahrain, with two against - China ‌and Russia - and two abstentions.
U.S. President Donald Tr

Key Fed Official Says Interest Rate Hike Is Possible as Gas Prices Soar

A top official at the Federal Reserve has said that soaring gas prices present a new threat to the economy, warning of a possible interest rate hike if inflation remains persistently elevated.
Oil prices have surged since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began, sparking fears of renewed inflation and roiling the stock market, which dipped on Tuesday after President Donald Trump threatened that Iran's "whole civilization will die tonight" if Tehran doesn't accept his terms.
Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, a voting

Fed’s Austan Goolsbee sees economic weakness, but not recession

Austan Goolsbee, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, sees some weakness in the U.S. economy now and he's personally uneasy about the possibility of inflation heating up as the Iran war continues.
But he remains "hopeful, slash optimistic" that the U.S. economy will keeping growing, thanks to continued consumer spending across the board.
"My concern at this immediate time is we've got to get our heads around the oil shock," Goolsbee told the Detroit Economic Club on Tuesday, April 7.
Goolsbee engaged in

Joe Kent says if US destroys Iran via destruction, the global order will be shattered

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WASHINGTON (TNND) — Joe Kent, the former director of the National Cou