Iran denies Trump's claim it requested ceasefire

[0:04] Live from London, this is the Iran War Today on BBC News. [0:08] Over the next 15 minutes, we'll bring you all the key updates on day 33 of the war. [0:13] Well, let's start with today's main developments. [0:16] Donald Trump says the US will end its war with Iran in the next two to three weeks, [0:20] with or without a deal. [0:26] Iran denies Mr Trump's claim that it asked for a ceasefire, [0:29] as the president suggests the US is weighing whether to pull out of NATO. [0:35] Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK will host a meeting with dozens of countries this week [0:39] on opening the Strait of Hormuz. [0:42] Global stock markets rally and oil prices dip following Mr Trump's comments. [0:47] Donald Trump has signalled once again that the war with Iran could be over in a couple of weeks, [0:56] with or without a deal with Iran. [0:59] He said the US had already accomplished its war aims, [1:01] including regime change and limiting Tehran's ability to build a nuclear weapon. [1:07] But Mr Trump also said that the US will continue to attack Iran until the Strait of Hormuz is open. [1:12] He claimed Iran's new regime president, [1:15] has asked for a ceasefire and has threatened to pull the US out of NATO over the war. [1:20] Have a listen. [1:21] Iran doesn't have to make a deal now. [1:23] Yeah, I've spoken to a lot of people. [1:25] It's a new regime. [1:27] They are much more accessible. [1:29] No, they don't have to make a deal with me. [1:31] When we feel that they are, for a long period of time, [1:36] put into the Stone Ages and they won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, [1:42] then we'll leave. [1:43] Whether we have a deal or not is irrelevant. [1:46] I'm going to speak now to our chief North America correspondent, Gary O'Donoghue. [1:50] So, Gary, a lot of claims made by Mr Trump there in the past 24 hours or so. [1:54] Yeah, and not all of them necessarily sit well together. [2:02] I mean, today we've had him suggesting that he would accept a ceasefire with Iran [2:08] if it opened the Strait of Hormuz. [2:10] Yesterday, he said that was a world problem. [2:13] That was a problem for the world, that NATO allies could go and get the oil if they wanted it. [2:17] He didn't really care about that. [2:20] That now seems to be an absolute prerequisite for any kind of peace. [2:24] He's also, you know, said in the past that they're close to a deal, they want to do a deal. [2:29] Now he says, I don't care whether there's a deal or not. [2:32] He also extraordinarily, I think, he made it clear in an interview to a news agency, [2:37] the Reuters news agency, this enriched uranium, which the Iranians have 440 kilos, [2:44] up to 60%, that can get to weapons grade pretty quickly, buried underground after [2:50] last year's bombing. [2:51] The president says he doesn't care about that because it's buried underground. [2:53] That was one of the key demands that they were taught, have been talking about during [2:57] these negotiations, potentially even sending in ground troops, the rumors were, to get [3:03] that material and take it out of Iran. [3:05] That seems to be off the table. [3:08] Also saying that they really, that they may have, he feels they may have neutralized the [3:13] proxies that Iran has in the region, like Hezbollah, like Hamas, like the Houthis in [3:20] Yemen, of course. [3:21] Well, there's no real sign that the Houthis have been neutralized or indeed Hezbollah [3:25] is completely beaten at this point in time. [3:27] So there's a lot of things to digest about his statements. [3:31] They, they shift. [3:33] And as the war aims have shifted over the last, as you pointed out, 33 days. [3:38] Gary O'Donoghue, thank you very much indeed. [3:40] Well, Iran has denied Mr. Trump's claim that it has asked for a ceasefire. [3:45] It has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to its enemies. [3:49] In a post on X, [3:50] the head of the National [3:51] Security Commission in the Iranian Parliament said Trump has finally achieved his dream [3:56] of regime change, but in the region's maritime regime. [4:00] While President Massoud Pesachkian has said Tehran has the necessary will to end the war, [4:06] provided its conditions are met. [4:08] Well, BBC Persian's Siavash Adelan is here with me now. [4:12] So how has Iran been reacting to President Trump's claim? [4:15] So there seems to be a lot of confusion arising from President Trump's, [4:21] the inaccuracies in the statement that President Trump made. [4:24] First of all, Massoud Pesachkian is not Iran's new president. [4:27] He has been the president for a long time now. [4:31] Secondly, it seems like what President Trump said about Iran asking for a ceasefire [4:36] stems from a statement that he made that you just quoted. [4:39] Iran has the will to end the war and then commit to its requirements, [4:46] provided that those requirements are met. [4:48] It seems like President Trump took that as a willingness on [4:51] Iran's part to want and ask for a ceasefire, whereas Iran's condition has been very clear. [4:57] It had its own counterproposal to the US's peace plan. [5:01] It wants reparations and ironclad guarantees that it won't be attacked again. [5:05] But inside Iran, even that statement made by Massoud Pesachkian, [5:09] Iran has the will to end the war, has been met with a lot of criticism [5:14] by the IRGC and some of the hardline media. [5:18] Inside Iran, they've criticized Massoud Pesachkian [5:20] as for making that statement, saying that that itself provides, [5:25] gives ammunition to the Americans or it emboldens the Americans to think that Iran is in a weak position. [5:31] So it also goes to show the internal rift inside the Iranian regime and also the very much ambiguous [5:41] new state of affairs in terms of the decision making mechanisms in Iran [5:46] after we had the death of the Supreme Leader and its replacement with the new state of affairs. [5:50] Who is calling the shots? Is it the President? Is it the IRGC? [5:55] How will they make a decision if it comes to the point where they need to decide whether they want to accept a ceasefire or not? [6:02] Sovash Adelan, thank you very much indeed for all that expertise. Thank you. [6:06] Well, global markets have rallied and oil prices fell briefly after Mr. Trump's comments [6:13] that an end to the war is in sight. But governments worldwide are bracing for severe economic fallout. [6:19] Many have imposed measures to contain rising prices. As the head of the [6:23] International Energy Agency warns, we're heading towards a major, major disruption. [6:28] In Germany, gas stations will now only be able to raise pump prices once a day. [6:33] Australia's Prime Minister, Antony Albanese, has called on Australians to switch to public transport [6:38] as fuel tax cuts begin to take effect. And the UK is set to host a meeting of 35 countries [6:44] to discuss ways of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels, [6:50] which is being blockaded by Iran. All with me is our [6:53] Bill Gates. [6:54] Thanks, Simon. [6:55] Thanks for having me, I'm a business editor. [6:56] I'm a business editor at the New York Times. [6:57] I'm a business editor at the New York Times, and I'm a business editor at the New York Times. [6:58] I'm a business editor at the New York Times. [6:59] So, market's, Simon, have reacted positively to Mr Trump's comments, but governments are [7:00] bracing for the long-term damage. [7:01] Yeah, two different approaches here, some to try and cut consumption and others to [7:07] try and protect consumers from the extra costs that we've seen since these hostilities [7:12] began. So, give you a couple of examples. Asia, which is most dependent on energy from [7:18] the Gulf. You've seen, for example, in Thailand they've told people to keep the air conditioning [7:23] so use less energy to keep it down take off their jackets at work simple but [7:28] practical tips and also introduced a four-day working week in the Philippines [7:32] similar measures as well as you say Australia has encouraged people to drive [7:38] less and in places like Egypt for example they've introduced a sort of [7:43] effectively a 9 p.m. curfew and telling people to keep their to keep lighting [7:49] down and to drive less where possible same in Australia so those are kind of [7:53] consumption types of things so people use less and on the other hand you've [7:57] got people trying to cut the cost to consumers try and protect them so for [8:01] example in Ireland you've seen cuts in fuel duty you've seen as you mentioned [8:06] in Germany only being able to raise petrol prices once a day and Spain for [8:12] example has had a big VAT percent five billion euros on a VAT cut so different [8:18] methods to do different things while I'm trying to you know cut the amount we use [8:22] other trying to [8:23] the amount we spend but as I say most of the and also some companies doing the [8:29] same Airlines in particular in Asia some announcing emergency measures cancelling [8:33] lots of flights lots of surcharges being introduced there less of that happening [8:37] in Europe Simon Jack our business editor thank you very much indeed heavy strikes [8:46] on Tehran continued today the Israeli military launched a wave of strikes [8:50] targeting infrastructure Iranian media said steel complexes away from the [8:55] capital were badly damaged Tehran residents say they are not aware of the [8:58] damage [9:12] I'm honestly sick of this kind of contradictory talk I feel like I've been [9:19] in a purgatory for a month I can't do anything and everything is up in the air [9:25] I'm so tired of the war I want them to continue striking [9:30] I'm tired of this situation. I want the government to go. [9:35] Iran has continued attacks against Israel and its Gulf neighbours in retaliation. [9:40] Explosions heard across parts of Israel and Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE [9:46] have all been targeted by Iranian strikes today. [9:50] Our correspondent Katie Watson is in Doha. [9:52] As the US-Israel war with Iran continues, so too does the retaliation from Iran felt here in the Gulf. [10:00] In the UAE, a Bangladeshi national was killed from falling shrapnel from a drone, [10:04] one of 35 launched from Iran overnight. [10:08] In Kuwait, there were fuel depots set on fire at the international airport, causing a huge fire. [10:14] And here in Qatar, there were three missiles launched from Iran. [10:17] One of those missiles landed on an oil tanker, causing a small fire. [10:22] And according to a UK maritime organisation, there was another projectile that was left unexploded. [10:27] Authorities investigating that. [10:29] In Bahrain, there were sirens that went off. [10:32] Saudi also intercepting drones. [10:34] And this is something we're seeing every single day. [10:37] With me is our chief international correspondent, Lise Doucette. [10:39] Lise, we're expecting to hear from the president later on. [10:43] Do we have any kind of steer about what he's going to be talking about? [10:46] Well, as you know from our coverage, President Trump says something almost every day [10:49] and often more than once a day about the course of this war, when he's going to end it. [10:54] And for many weeks now, he's been teasing the world, most of all the markets and oil prices, [10:58] that he's going to end it. [10:59] And he's going to end it very soon. [11:00] He said that on March 9th, I'm going to end it very soon. [11:03] We've met our military objectives. [11:05] And now he is saying it again. [11:06] But this is new, that he's announced that he's going to have this major address. [11:11] So everyone is thinking, oh, it must be something even more significant. [11:15] From what we hear, Bernard DeWussman, our White House correspondent, [11:18] he has said that he's been calling around today. [11:21] And it's being downplayed a little bit that it will be more of an operational assessment, [11:25] kind of what we get from the Pentagon, [11:27] that how they've... [11:28] They've constantly repeated that Iran's military capabilities have been destroyed, [11:35] that its navy has been all but destroyed, [11:38] that leaders have been killed. [11:40] Perhaps he's got something new to mention. [11:42] But he is under real pressure, as you've been hearing yet again in this program, [11:46] about the economic shocks around the world, including in the United States. [11:50] The midterms aren't that far away. [11:52] So he will be expected to say something. [11:54] He said this morning it could be wrapped up in two to three weeks. [11:58] Whether it will be two to three weeks, he's teased this idea today about a ceasefire, [12:03] even though you've heard from Siavash, that's not really what the Iranians were saying. [12:08] And as President Trump likes to keep telling us, [12:10] he doesn't make up his mind to the last minute. [12:12] So it's possible the speech may even change in these last few hours. [12:17] And in the meantime, he's been sort of attacking the idea of NATO again, [12:20] which isn't the first time. [12:21] But how significant is it this time around, do you think? [12:23] This has been a constant theme of President Trump, [12:26] even when he campaigned for the first time in his first term, [12:29] in office, which had begun in 2017. [12:32] He called NATO obsolete. [12:34] He called it a paper tiger, [12:36] saying that it was costing a fortune for the United States. [12:39] We know now that the former Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg published his own memoir. [12:44] Just how close President came to leaving the NATO military alliance in his first term. [12:50] This time around, when he's making the threat yet again, [12:52] he's saying that his decision is beyond reconsideration, [12:56] because this time he really is furious, [12:58] because he believes that NATO, other members of the 32-member alliance, [13:03] should have, in his words, automatically come to his defence. [13:07] But as we hear from one NATO member after another, [13:11] they're still confused. [13:12] What is this war about? [13:13] Collective defence only applies when there's a consensus in NATO. [13:17] And when one member is attacked, then it's an attack against all. [13:21] But this doesn't fall into NATO's thinking. [13:25] I think NATO members, again, most of all the Secretary General, [13:28] Mark Ritter, will hope that once the war ends, when it ends, [13:31] they will try to, again, pull President Trump back from the brink. [13:35] Elise Doucette, thank you very much indeed for your analysis. Thank you. [13:39] Well, whether you're joining us on YouTube, TikTok, Sounds, radio or TV, [13:43] thanks for your time. [13:44] We'll be back at the same time tomorrow with the Iran war today.