By Nandita Bose, Steven Scheer and Yomna Ehab
WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/CAIRO, April 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the end of the war on Iran could be near, with Washington signaling potential for both direct talks with Tehran’s leadership and a winding down of the conflict even without a deal.
The remarks underscored Washington’s shifting and at times contradictory statements about when and how a war that has killed thousands, spread across the region and caused unprecedented energy disruption might end.
“We’ll be leaving very soon,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, saying that could be “within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three.”
“Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no,” he said, when asked if successful diplomacy was a prerequisite for the U.S. to end what it calls “Operation Epic Fury”.
The United States had previously threatened to intensify operations if Tehran did not accept a 15-point U.S. ceasefire framework that had among its core demands required Iran to commit not to pursue nuclear weapons, halt all uranium enrichment and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House said Trump would address the nation “to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (0100 GMT on Thursday).
Rubio told Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” program there was potential for a meeting between both sides “at some point” and the United States could “see the finish line”.
“It’s not today, it’s not tomorrow, but it is coming,” Rubio added.
TANKER HIT OFF QATAR, BLAZES IN BAHRAIN, KUWAIT
Still, attacks took place on multiple fronts early on Wednesday, with drones hitting fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport causing a big blaze and authorities in Bahrain reporting a fire at an undisclosed company facility from an Iranian attack.
A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile off the Qatari capital Doha causing a fire and damage to the hull, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, adding the crew were safe.
Explosions were heard in multiple areas of Tehran after U.S.-Israeli air attacks, Iranian state media reported, adding that its air defences were activated.
Shahid Haghani Port, Iran’s largest passenger terminal, was hit by an overnight air strike but there were no casualties, deputy regional governor Ahmad Nafisi told state media, calling it a “criminal” attack on civilian infrastructure.
Gulf countries, some home to U.S. bases, have been repeatedly fired on by Tehran during the conflict, with concerns mounting about Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and ability to use the vital waterway, a conduit for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, as a bargaining chip.
Oil rose more than 1% on Wednesday, with Brent futures extending gains after March’s record monthly rise despite Trump’s talk of a war exit, while stocks and bonds rallied at the start of the Asian session on hopes of a de-escalation.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 2.7% , breaking a four-day losing streak after stocks on Wall Street soared on Tuesday as traders bet on the potential off-ramp.
U.S. MESSAGING IS NOT NEGOTIATIONS, IRAN SAYS
Higher oil and fuel prices are weighing on U.S. household finances and are a political headache for Trump and his Republican Party before the November midterm elections, with two-thirds of Americans believing the U.S. should work to exit the Iran war quickly, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
While the United States has said talks with Iran were ongoing and expressed optimism, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday he had received direct messages from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff but those did not constitute “negotiations”, Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV cited him as saying.
The messages include threats or exchanged views delivered through “friends”, he added.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday other countries needed to “be prepared to stand up” and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, echoing criticism from Trump, who has singled out NATO members Britain and France.
Secretary of State Rubio told Fox News NATO was a “one-way street” and Europe was eager for the U.S. to defend it but would not provide the help Washington had sought.
“After this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship,” Rubio said.
The United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the U.S. and allies open the Strait by force, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Tuesday. The UAE is seeking a U.N. Security Council resolution for the action and suggested the U.S. occupy strategic islands, according to the report.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday hit back with a new threat against U.S. companies in the region starting from 8 p.m. Tehran time (1630 GMT) on Wednesday, listing 18 businesses including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing.
Asked if he was concerned about threats, Trump said no.
WAR RAGES ON, HOUTHIS LAUNCH COORDINATED ATTACK
Missile debris struck several areas in central Israel on Wednesday following an early morning rocket volley from Iran. There were no immediate reports of fatalities from Israeli authorities.
Many of Israel’s 19 deaths so far have been from falling rocket debris following interceptions.
Yemen’s Houthis, which joined the regional war in recent days, said they carried out a missile attack on Israel on Wednesday, describing it as a joint operation with Iran and the Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, the first such collaboration between them during the war.
Israel’s military said air-defence systems were operating to intercept the threats.
The war has also revived conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. At least seven people were killed and 24 wounded in two Israeli strikes in the Beirut area, the Lebanese health ministry said on Wednesday.
Israel’s military said it carried out two separate strikes targeting a senior Hezbollah commander and another senior member in the Beirut area. It did not identify them or say whether they had been killed.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.
Indonesia on Wednesday said it has called for an investigation into the deaths of three of its peacekeepers following Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon during a bloody weekend when journalists and medics were also killed.
“We demand a direct investigation from the U.N., not just Israel’s excuses,” its U.N. representative Umar Hadi told an emergency Security Council meeting, according to a foreign ministry statement.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Costas Pitas and Martin Petty; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Lincoln Feast.)
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