Iran war: Trump says US will be 'leaving soon'

The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said Wednesday.

Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, as well as the lower-cost airline FlyDubai, made the announcements on their websites.

Entry rules can sometimes be opaque in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, but the airlines’ websites all display the order. It said holders of 10-year Golden Visa residency permits could still enter the country.

UAE authorities have offered no official comment. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington "is going to have to reexamine" its relationship with NATO once the Iran war has ended.

"I think there's no doubt, unfortunately, after this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship. We're going to have to reexamine the value of NATO in that alliance for our country," Rubio told the Fox News cable network.

He added that it would "ultimately" be a decision for President Donald Trump to make. The top US diplomat said he had been "one of the strongest defenders of NATO" while he was in the US Senate because he "found great value in it."

Much of that value was in having military bases in Europe that allowed the US military "to project power into different parts of the world," Rubio said.

"If now we have reached a point where the NATO alliance means that we can't use those bases, that in fact we can no longer use those bases to defend America's interests, then NATO is a one-way street," he added.

Trump has regularly lashed out at NATO allies throughout the conflict as many of them (NATO has 32 member states, of which 30 are European nations) have broadly resisted calls to enter the war.

France has called for a diplomatic solution to the war, joining Germany and the UK in pressing the US to pursue negotiations with Iran since the onset of the conflict.

US President Donald Trump will deliver a national address at 9:00 pm Wednesday night (0100 GMT Thursday) related to the war against Iran, the White House said.

"TUNE IN: Tomorrow night at 9PM ET, President Trump will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote Tuesday evening on X. 

The announcement came after Trump said earlier that the US could end its military offensive against Iran in two to three weeks. 

The US president also said it will be up to other countries to secure the Strait of Hormuz and keep the strategic waterway open.

US President Donald Trump said the US will be done with its war in Iran "within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job. But we want to knock out every single thing they have."

Despite repeatedly listing four or five objectives for the war, Trump said he "had one goal: They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained." He did not explain how he felt that goal had been reached.

He added the US may strike a deal with Iran before the next few weeks are up but said, if not, "We'll hit some bridges, got a couple of nice bridges in mind. But if they come to the table, that'll be good."

Trump also said Washington will have nothing to do with reopening the Strait of Hormuz. His comments come after he criticized US allies for not doing more to help secure shipping in the strait.

Plus, the Iranian foreign minister said in an interview with news network Al Jazeera on Tuesday that Iran had not responded to a 15-point proposal sent by the US to end the war.

Abbas Araghchi said he had received a direct message from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, butdenied the countries were negotiating.

 

Thank you for joining us. Here's a recap of major events before we launch our live updates on April 1: 

President Donald Trump said the US will be "leaving soon," adding that Washington could be done with its war with Iran within two to three weeks.

Trump signaled the US will leave the region even if the Strait of Hormuz remains almost fully closed off to the rest of the world.

The US "will not have anything to do with" what happens next in the strait, Trump said, adding that the responsibility for opening the vital waterway will rest with countries that rely on it.

Trump will address the nation overnight on Wednesday (0100 GMT) to deliver an "important update on Iran," the White House said.

The European Commission also warned of a prolonged energy crisisand asked people to work from home and fly less. The EU energy chief Dan Jorgensen asked EU states to double down on renewable energy.