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Middle East crisis live: Iran says Trump’s claim of ceasefire request ‘baseless’

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump’s claim that it has asked for a ceasefire is “false and baseless”, according to a report on Iranian state television. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard separately issued a statement saying the strait of Hormuz “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces, AP reported. “This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States,” it added.

Britain to host 35 countries for strait of Hormuz talks, says Starmer

The UK will convene 35 countries – excluding the US – to explore ways to reopen the strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route for oil and gas that has been blocked by Iran. Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said the next phase of discussions in the joint British and French efforts to secure the waterway would be held on Thursday, with Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, alongside international leaders. Donald Trump has said it will be up to other countries to make the strait safe if the US ceases its strikes on Tehran, criticising the lack of backing for his war from European nations. Starmer said on Wednesday the meeting would bring together 35 countries to “assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities”. No 10 said it would be the first time the countries had convened to discuss a viable plan to reopen the strait. The prime minister said British military planners would meet afterwards “to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped”. But Starmer, who convened energy and shipping bosses at No 10 on Monday, said the clear-up would last a long time after the hostilities had ceased. “I do have to level with people on this, this will not be easy,” he said. “They were clear with me, the primary challenge they face is not one of insurance, but one of safety and security of passage. So, the fact is, we need all of this together – a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity, partnership with industry, so they too can mobilise once the fighting has stopped and, above all, clear and calm leadership. That is what this country is ready to provide. “Because my guide from the start of this conflict has always been the British national interest. And freedom of navigation in the Middle East is in the British national interest.” The meeting will convene the countries who signed a joint statement last month. Several more have joined since. They include the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. It commits the countries to a “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait”. It is understood the US has not been invited directly to participate in the talks, with the focus on those who signed the joint statement, as well as other European allies and leading maritime and regional players in the region. About 1,000 ships are stranded by Iran’s partial blockade of the strait in response to the strikes by the US and Israel. Before the conflict, tankers carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies through the channel, and about a third of the global fertilisers necessary for half of the world’s food production. Only about 130 ships have made the passage since the war began, the number that would normally pass through every day. The Ministry of Defence has sent military planners to US Central Command to look at options for getting tankers through the strait. On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement on state TV that the strait of Hormuz would remain closed to “enemies of this nation” and that it remained under control of its navy. Trump posted on Wednesday that there would be no ceasefire with Iran until it had relinquished control of the waterway. “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” he wrote.

Macron praises Europe’s predictability in face of countries that ‘hurt you without even informing you’ – as it happened

… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today! French president Emmanuel Macron praised Europe’s “predictability” during a visit to Japan, contrasting it with countries that “could hurt you without even informing you” in an apparent swipe at Donald Trump (13:37). His comments come as several European countries were forced to respond (11:31, 13:48, 15:55, 16:06) to latest quotes from US president Donald Trump implying he was considering pulling the US out of Nato amid his growing frustration with some allies (11:06, 11:13, 15:13, 15:49). Trump is expected to come back to the issue in his overnight address to the nation. But Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, said he spoke with Trump this afternoon and insisted that “problems are there to be solved, pragmatically” (17:02). In other news, Russia dismissed Ukraine’s suggestion of an Easter ceasefire as a “PR stunt” and a delaying tactic by Kyiv, further complicating the latest talks about ending the conflict (14:01). The European Union has sought to ramp up pressure on Hungary to drop its veto on the €90bn loan for Ukraine, with the European Commission saying it will push ahead with its preparatory work for the loan to be paid out (12:41). UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer suggested his country could seek a closer relationship with the EU as a result of increasingly “volatile” global situation (11:42). If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

In Europe, lobbyists are using soaring fuel prices to make the case for more dirty energy

On the one hand, experts say, Europe is better prepared for this energy crisis than the last. On the other, it is still waging a culture war against the most obvious path out. Fuel prices have soared to ruinous levels since the Iran war left ships of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) stranded in the Gulf. The pain is most acute in Asia, but high energy prices are already causing panic in Europe. Shortages could hit the continent this month, oil company Shell warned last week. Donald Trump’s “go get your own oil” comments on Tuesday sent prices to their highest level since the start of the US-Israel attack on Iran. They briefly dipped below $100-a-barrel on Wednesday amid hopes that the war may soon end. Despite this, efforts to hasten the shift away from an economy that runs on dirty foreign fuels, towards cheaper, cleaner domestic renewables, remain muted. Instead, soaring energy prices have provided lobbyists with more ammunition to attack the carbon price with further claims that the bloc’s flagship climate policy is threatening factories and jobs. Its incoming methane standards have also come under renewed fire. Will Europe’s second fossil energy crisis of the decade push leaders to cut reliance on imports of fuels that foul the air and heat the planet? The 2022 energy shock hit Europe when its energy mix was particularly shaky. The Russian invasion of Ukraine caught governments by surprise, despite the Russian gas giant Gazprom draining German gas reserves in the months leading up to the war and stern warnings from allies that followed. Subsequent gas shortfalls coincided with weak output from nuclear power plants, which needed repairs, and hydropower dams, which had been hit by drought. Now, as the Iran conflict sends fuel prices soaring once more, Europe stands on steadier ground. Wind and solar overtook fossil fuels in the European Union’s power generation last year, after officials hastened the rollout of renewables by shortening the permitting process. The cost of clean alternatives has continued to fall, making it easier than it was in the last crisis for households to buy solar panels, electric cars, heat pumps and batteries. Yet in that time, EU officials and national leaders have begun unwinding key parts of the Green Deal they used to back. Wary of rightwing populists attacking climate policy – and eager to appease struggling industries that blame green rules for their plight – the dominant centre-right group in the European parliament has made near-term “competitiveness” its top priority. The costs of pollution have taken a back seat. Foreign pressure has not helped. Last week, MEPs approved a trade deal with the US that is linked to Trump’s demand for Europe to buy $750bn of its energy – most of which is fossil based – over three years. While the energy demand was not part of the vote (lawmakers do not have the power to make companies buy US fuels), the deal has alarmed campaigners fearful of the signal it sends to a country already using energy as a weapon. The shift in political mood is clearest in Germany. Europe’s biggest polluter is watering down laws to phase out gas boilers, which the previous government brought in after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and last week its economy minister told an audience of oil and gas executives that the EU should relax its net zero target. Meanwhile, the prospect of joining the rest of the democratic world by implementing a blanket speed limit on its motorways is still a political taboo. Pleas from the International Energy Agency to survive the oil price shock with more radical measures – avoiding flights, driving slower, working from home – have been roundly ignored. Perhaps the greatest threat to the green transition is the attacks on the EU’s flagship emissions trading system, which puts a price on carbon pollution. Several EU member states and the powerful chemical lobby set it in their crosshairs well before the war broke out. On Wednesday, EU officials announced plans to weaken its carbon price by ending the automatic cancellation of extra permits in a buffer pool. The move fell short of the more radical overhaul demanded by some member states, but alarmed green groups who fear it will lead to “significantly higher” emissions after 2030. The picture is far from the open return to fossil fuels embraced by the US. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, announced last month that she would mandate lower taxes on electricity than fossil fuels – a key lever for the transition – and boost investments in industrial decarbonisation. A handful of national leaders have also repeated calls to hasten the move to a clean economy, even as they consider broad subsidies to shield consumers from fuel price spikes. Still, the scale of action outlined by climate scientists and economists remains elusive. During the 1973 oil crisis, when Europe first reckoned with its fossil dependence, a handful of countries embarked on innovative and far-reaching transformations of their energy systems. From Dutch bike lanes and Danish windfarms to French nuclear power plants and Nordic district heating systems, European leaders have shown that a crisis can spur change. The imperative has since grown, but the imagination seems to have shrunk. *** The misrule of law Europe’s eyes turn towards Hungary ahead of a pivotal general election on 12 April, in which Viktor Orbán faces possible defeat. Under Orbán’s premiership, a liberal democracy, governed by the rule of law – as membership of the EU requires – has, in effect, been reshaped into a one-party state. Democratic institutions have been systematically hollowed out: the judiciary is stacked with government loyalists and the independent media has been defanged. But even if Orbán is swept from power this month, similar forces are a threat to democracy elsewhere in Europe. Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovakia were identified on Monday as “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law. Other countries are also showing symptoms of backsliding. There are chilling signs that the Orbán media playbook is being used as a blueprint. The Italian government has used defamation suits to silence journalists and public intellectuals. In France a far-right-led parliamentary inquiry into public broadcasting has been accused by Le Monde of acting like an “ideological war machine”. In Germany, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party has the country’s network of public broadcasters in its sights. A new series by the Guardian’s Europe correspondents gives a powerful picture of what’s happening – and why it matters. The good news is that the fightback is also under way. Until next week. To receive the complete version of This Is Europe in your inbox every Wednesday, please subscribe here.

Pot Noodle pizza to Dr Who Darlic bread: this year’s best April fools

The media ecosystem may have changed since the BBC’s spaghetti harvest report in 1957 or the Guardian’s 1977 travel supplement about the island of San Serriffe, but April fool stories are still with us. Indeed, if you picked up Wednesday’s edition of the Guardian, you may have been taken in by our report that evidence has been found of coffee being consumed in England a couple of centuries before the first known examples, thanks in part to an expert called Macky Arto. Other April fool highlights from the media include the Byline Times story that White House officials have confirmed Liz Truss, the former British prime minister, is to join Nasa at the behest of Donald Trump, in order, she says, to fight “the dark forces of the deep space blob”. The tell in that story? It stretches credulity by claiming the US president is “a big fan” of Truss’s YouTube channel, when clearly, judging by the numbers, nobody is. In an apparent jibe at the crisis-hit CalMac ferries, the Scotsman reports that a medieval Scottish ferry, found in Mull, appears to have been abandoned during the ninth century as a result of “technical difficulties”. Next to the remains, which it says have roll-on, roll-off capacity for carts, was a vellum manuscript wrapped in deerskin, which appears to be a timetable – with “DeoVolente (God willing)” written after each departure time. Also on a transport tip, the Oxford Mail, reporting on a location whose 15-minute city plan has become a culture war touchstone, says a £3bn scheme to build a monorail through some of the most historic parts of Oxford is in train. It rounds out the article with a set of recognisable quotes from the Simpsons episode where a monorail comes to Springfield, and an AI-generated image of the monorail cutting through the skyline of the “city of dreaming spires”. A major theme in recent years of April fool jokes by brands has been the announcement of unlikely collaborations – especially in the food space. This year, Heinz and PerfectTed are claiming they are getting together to produce matcha-flavoured mayonnaise. A prank that hits a sweeter spot is the promise from the dessert manufacturer Gü that it is partnering with Dr Will’s sriracha hot sauce to produce a sriracha chocolate melting-middle pudding, which it says “takes the spicy sweetness trend to the next level”. Pizza is a good topic for a joke. The pineapple producer Dole has announced the absolutely disgusting-sounding concept of the Hawaiian pizza in a can, and the restaurant chain Zizzi says it is offering pizza with a candyfloss topping. Domino’s has suggested a new pizza will be available – the Pot Noodle stuffed crust – with a commenter on its Facebook page noting: “The joke is on them because that would actually be a best seller.” And what better to complement your pizza meal than Iceland’s new Doctor Who-themed Darlic bread? Asda has announced a way to make supermarket shopping an altogether more pleasant experience – with additional seats for adults being added to trolleys. The design features a comfy armchair, a cup holder for drinks and a built-in phone holder for hands-free scrolling. The company said it was introducing the design after research showed 73% of people admitted their shopping companion mysteriously vanished mid-aisle. Another trend that brands have leapt on for a bit of mischief is the idea that everything has to be infused with something nowadays. Divine Chocolate says it is launching the world’s first chocolate bar infused with positive affirmations – the Good Vibes bar – which is relying, it says, on scientific research that has “proved” that “water praised verbally freezes into more appealing structures than water which was scolded”. Protein infusions are a current craze, and Carmoola has announced an air freshener for cars that claims to diffuse protein during your drive to work, telling prospective users: “[It] disperses ‘micro-dosed, bio-optimised protein molecules’ into your car during the commute, enabling drivers to easily boost their protein intake while navigating traffic.” The key to a good corporate April fool is to pretend to launch something that along the way extols the value of your main product. Last year the nappy brand Rascals announced it was producing nappies that would sing your child to sleep. This year it is targeting parents with the “Twosie” – a onesie for adults made entirely of nappies, which it claims is so absorbent that it will “protect parents from milky dribble and other unwanted stains produced by babies … and whatever just landed on your shoulder”. It does look comfy in the pictures. Alternatively, you can go against type, as the Royal Albert Hall has, with its desperate attempt to seem more trendy to a younger audience. It promises a looksmaxxing contest called the Frame Mogging Championships, Doomscrolling in Concert, which will recreate the experience of trawling Instagram at 3am but accompanied by the “UK Philharmonic Orchestra”, and an open-air aura farming event in Hyde Park. Not every brand jumps on 1 April in quite the same way, of course. The earplug manufacturer Loop simply sent out an email offering a discount and saying: “Fake headlines, office pranks, your group chat losing it. Honestly? Just sleep through it.” Maybe it had the right idea.

Starmer calls for ‘ambitious’ new UK-EU ties as Trump threatens to quit Nato

Britain’s long-term national interest requires closer partnership with the EU, Keir Starmer has said, citing war in the Middle East and the increasingly volatile international situation. The prime minister indicated that the conflict had refocused the government on “ambitious” new ties with Europe, economically and in defence, and said how Britain emerged from the crisis “would define us for a generation”. Starmer also used the address at Downing Street to announce that the foreign secretary would host a meeting of other countries later this week on how to unblock the vital strait of Hormuz. “Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped. Because I do have to level with people on this. This will not be easy,” he said. However, in the starkest indication yet that Britain was pivoting away from the US, Starmer also said he saw the UK’s future as being more closely tied to Europe, ahead of a summit with the EU after last year’s post-Brexit “reset” meeting. “Brexit did deep damage to our economy, and the opportunities to strengthen our security and cut the cost of living are simply too big to ignore,” he said, before turning to the forthcoming meeting with the EU. “At that summit, the UK will not just ratify existing commitments made at last year’s summit. We want to be more ambitious, closer economic cooperation, closer security cooperation, a partnership that recognises our shared values, our shared interest and our shared future. A partnership for the dangerous world that we must navigate together.” Asked by journalists if the catalyst was his apparently deteriorating relationship with Donald Trump, who has continued to castigate Britain and Starmer personally, the prime minister said that more pan-European security cooperation was in everyone’s interest. “I actually think that will help strengthen our relationship with the US,” he said. Asked about Trump saying he was strongly considering pulling the US out of Nato, Starmer said he would act in the UK interest, whatever the “noise”. “Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in the decisions that I make,” he said. Asked by the Guardian if the words used in his speech meant the government was planning to rejoin the single market, something Labour committed in its manifesto not to do, the prime minister said he believed Britain should strengthen cooperation on defence, security, energy emissions and on the economy. He said: “The steps we’ve taken so far have been in relation to the single market and I’m ambitious that we could do more in relation to the single market, because I think that’s hugely in our economic interests. “Obviously, this is a matter of negotiation and discussion with the EU but the summit we have this year will not be just be a stocktake summit where we look at actually the 10 strands that we put in place last year. It will be a deliberate ambition on our part to go further than that and to cooperate more deeply, including in the economic sphere.” Labour’s manifesto commitments still stood but they were consistent with building a closer relationship with Europe, he added. “I’m not going to choose, because I think it’s in our interest to have a strong relationship with the US and with Europe. But I do think that when it comes to defence and security, energy emissions and the economy, we need a stronger relationship with Europe.” Starmer’s speech was criticised by the Conservatives and Reform UK, although it was only the latter who attacked the pro-European aspects of it. Reform UK’s deputy leader and business spokesperson, Richard Tice, said it was “ludicrous” to suggest Britain should have closer ties to “a failing economic bloc that has also a long track record of failing to invest in defence”. He added: “Let’s remember the EU became way too reliant on Russia for gas so their judgment is not to be trusted.” However, it was welcomed by the Liberal Democrats as an “overdue moment of honesty” about the cost of Brexit. The Lib Dems’ Europe spokesperson, Al Pinkerton, said: “With Trump waging an illegal war in Iran and threatening to pull the US out of Nato, it is now more important than ever that we strengthen ties with those allies we can rely on. That’s why, ahead of the next UK-EU summit, the government must formally scrap its arbitrary ‘red lines’ on our relationship with the EU, and have the courage to negotiate a customs union as a matter of economic urgency. “This is a solution which members of the prime minister’s own cabinet openly support, and one which will finally get Britain growing again. We don’t need a government that discusses a problem but is too afraid to implement the solution.” The Green MP Siân Berry said Starmer was “at last waking up to the need to look to partners across the European Union rather than the US for long-term security”.

Oil price falls and markets rally after Trump says Iran war over in ‘two to three weeks’

Oil prices tumbled and stock markets have rallied across the world after Donald Trump said the war in Iran would end in “two to three weeks”. Brent crude, an international benchmark for oil, fell as low as $98.35 a barrel on Wednesday, down more than 15% on the previous day and its lowest level in a week. It later recovered some ground, down 2.5% on the day at $101. Stock markets rallied in Asia, where economies are highly exposed to shortages of oil and gas coming out of the Gulf. Japan’s Nikkei surged up 5%, while the South Korean Kospi jumped by 8%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose by 2% and China’s CSI 300 index was up by 1.7%. European stock markets followed Asia higher, with the UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 up by 1.8% in early trading on Wednesday. The Europe Stoxx 600 index, which tracks the biggest companies across the continent, rose by 2.2%. Trump, talking about the war in Iran, said on Tuesday: “Now we’re finishing the job. I think in two weeks or maybe a few days longer, we’ll do the job. We want to knock out everything they’ve got.” The comments triggered a relief rally in the US stock market on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 rising by 2.9%. The US president is expected to address the US at 9pm ET on Wednesday (2am BST on Thursday). Emma Wall, the chief investment strategist at the broker Hargreaves Lansdown, said that markets were “choosing to believe the optimism from the White House”. “Trump’s comments suggest that the US will call victory soon and remove their presence from the region, despite no deal being reached with Iran,” she said. “While this is expected to provide an immediate boost to stocks, energy disruption would continue for some months, and likely impact both inflation and economic growth.” Nevertheless, City traders started to pare back their bets on UK interest rate rises this year. Money markets priced in about 41 basis points of increases to the UK bank rate by the end of 2026, which suggests that investors are no longer expecting two quarter-point rises. On Tuesday, the market had been anticipating 66 basis points of rate rises by Christmas, implying two rate rises. The price of gold, which jumped by 3.5% on Tuesday, rose by another 0.8% on Wednesday to its highest level in almost two weeks, to more than $4,700 an ounce.

Tourists flock to Paris, cheapest capital in Europe – archive, 1926

The siege of Paris From our own correspondent 3 April 1926 English holidaymakers are pouring into Paris. Twenty thousand are said by the railway authorities to have crossed the Channel yesterday, and many more will no doubt arrive to-day. There must be as many visitors from other countries, among which Germany is strongly represented. They find Paris looking her best in ideal spring weather. Both yesterday and to-day the sun has shone incessantly, and the weather prophets predict that the present conditions will last. There is every sign of spring. The cafes have taken out their windows, the trees are green, the chestnuts are budding, and the Tuileries are gay with tulips. People unwise enough to arrive without having engaged rooms in advance are likely to have the opportunity of seeing Paris pretty thoroughly while they search for quarters. The proprietor of a small hotel in a quarter off the beaten track for tourists told me to-day he had had enough applications for rooms during the last few days to fill the hotel for two months if spread over that period. Every Easter there is said to be a record influx of visitors, but appearances suggest that it is really the case this year. Paris is at present the cheapest capital in Europe, especially for tourists, since everything they look for is particularly cheap, except rooms, the prices of which are naturally raised for the occasion. They will find compensation, however, in restaurants, theatres, music-halls, and other amusements at about half London prices, and they will not, like Parisians, complain that the taxi fares of threepence a mile are doubled at night. The theatre in Paris By Philip Carr 6 April 1926 There are four kinds of foreign playgoers in Paris. There are those who go straight for the Folies-Bergère, and, if they are very adventurous, follow up that visit by trying the Moulin Rouge music hall and the Casino de Paris. They frankly do not expect to understand a word, but intend to make up for that in dances and dresses – as little as possible – and girls, with an occasional comedian who can make you laugh by what he does, not what he says. They will find all the well known palaces of delight equipped for the holiday rush, with Mistinguett at the Moulin Rouge, the Dolly Sisters at the Casino de Paris, and no star at all at the Folies-Bergère, which does not need such attractions. They can also be alternately shocked and horrified at the Grand Guignol, for tradition demands that they shall forsake music halls for one evening to include a visit to the tiny theatre that was such a goldmine to Max Maurey before he took the Varietes. Then there are the earnest people who go every night to the Comédie Française, with an occasional visit to the Odeon, that large and dreary mausoleum where the reputations of so many artistic managers lie buried. If it gives you any pleasure to see translations of English plays in Paris you can find one of The Devil’s Disciple, which has just been produced with moderate success at the Odeon, just as you can also see Mme Pitoeff in Saint Joan at the Theatre des Arts. Continue reading.