US President gives 48 hour deadline to Iran in a White House briefing; still no comment on the shot down fighter jet
The US F-15E Strike Eagle is the first US warplane to be shot down. PIC/PTI
The US president on Saturday re-upped a previous April 6 deadline for Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating consequences. “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump wrote on his social media account Saturday. “Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!”
The Trump administration hasn’t made an official comment on the US fighter jet shot down in Iran. But, the US military pressed ahead in a frantic search for a missing pilot after Iran shot down an American war plane. One US crew member from that plane was rescued. But the Pentagon also notified defence authorities that the status of a second service member on the fighter jet was not known. Trump declined to discuss the search-and-rescue efforts but said what happened would not affect negotiations with Iran.
PIC/ISTOCK
The conflict, launched by the US and Israel on February 28, has rippled across the region. The downing of the military planes came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has “beaten and completely decimated Iran” and was “going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast”. The US and Israel had boasted recently that Iran’s air defences were decimated.
Pakistan slashes fuel prices
A day after an unprecedented surge in fuel prices triggered severe backlash, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced slashing the petrol price by PKR 80, making the commodity available to the end consumer for PKR 378 per litre. The price had touched PKR 458.41 per litre on Friday.
Iran attacks Oracle’s HQ in Dubai
An apparent Iranian drone damaged the Dubai headquarters of the American tech giant Oracle on Saturday after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened the firm. Video footage showed a large hole in the building with the “e” in “Oracle” on a neon sign damaged.
PIC/PTI
The sheikhdom’s Dubai Media Office, which speaks for its government, said a “minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City,” adding there were no injuries. Oracle, based in Austin, Texas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Guard has accused some of America’s largest tech companies of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations against the Islamic Republic and said they were legitimate targets.
Profit caps on energy needed: Europe
The finance ministers of Spain and four other European countries are urging the EU to impose a bloc-wide windfall tax on energy companies, concerned that surging oil prices will fuel inflation.
Carlos Cuerpo. PIC/EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said on Saturday that his counterparts from Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Austria had signed a letter to the European Commission citing “market distortions” caused by the price spike.
Europe is dependent on imported oil and gas, leaving it vulnerable to external shocks. In 2022, turmoil in energy markets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed inflation into double digits in many European countries.
Pak and Iran deny media reports of collapse in US-Iran peace talks
Pakistan on Saturday rejected media reports that its initiative to facilitate talks between the US and Iran to end the ongoing conflict had hit obstacles.
Tahir Andrabi. PIC/FACEBOOK @TAHIR ANDRAB and Seyed Abbas Araghchi. PIC/WIKPEDIA
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected the media reports as “baseless” and a “figment of imagination”. “We have noted several reports in the media, including on social media, citing so-called official government sources regarding the ongoing conflict and Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and dialogue,” he said.
Similarly, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi dismissed Western media reports suggesting a stalemate in Pakistan-facilitated talks between Iran and the US, labelling it as “misrepresented”. “We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad.”
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