US President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Iran to ‘get smart soon’ and sign a deal, following days of deadlock in efforts to end the conflict and a media report that the US would extend its blockade of Iran’s ports.In a post on Truth Social, Trump, who has said Iran can call if it wants to talk and has stressed repeatedly Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon, said the country ‘couldn’t get its act together.’The Wall Street Journal cited US officials as saying the President had instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran’s ports in a bid to force Tehran to capitulate.Officials said that Trump had opted to continue squeezing Iran’s economy and oil exports with the blockade as his other options – resuming bombing or walking away from the conflict – carried more risk, according to the WSJ.“They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They’d better get smart soon!” Trump said in the post on Wednesday, without explaining what such a deal would entail.Iranian officials said on Tuesday the country could withstand the blockade as it was using alternative trade routes, and the Islamic Republic did not consider the war over. The conflict has killed thousands, thrown energy markets into turmoil and disrupted global trade routes. — with AgenciesTrump says Iran better get smart soonApril 29, 2026 5:53 pmDubai: US President Donald Trump criticised Iran’s handling of nuclear negotiations, saying it has failed to move toward a deal. “Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!” he wrote on Truth Social. Trump’s post featured an AI-generated image of himself holding a weapon amid explosions with the caption “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY.” Tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme rose before the war broke out, with Trump repeatedly vowing to ensure the country can’t build a nuclear weapon. Iran long has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, though it enriched uranium to nearly weapons-grade levels. APIran’s rial currency hits record low as shaky ceasefire with US, Israel still holdsApril 29, 2026 4:47 pmIran’s national rial currency hit a record hit Wednesday of 1.8 million to USD 1 as a shaky ceasefire with the US and Israel still holds. The rial had remained stable for weeks during the war, which began February 28, in part because there was little trading or imports coming into the country. The rial began to slide two days ago, hitting the record low Wednesday. Experts warn the fall of the rial is likely to further fuel inflation in a country where many imported goods, from food and medicine to electronics and raw materials, are affected by the dollar rate.Trump meets with oil executives as Iran stalemate drags on: ReportApril 29, 2026 4:46 pmUS President Donald Trump and his top officials met with oil and gas executives including Chevron CEO Mike Wirth at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the energy fallout of the Iran war and other topics, Axios reported on Wednesday. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were present, and topics for the meeting included domestic production, progress in Venezuela, oil futures, natural gas and shipping, according to the Axios report.Oil prices rise on fears of lengthy blockadeApril 29, 2026 4:45 pmOil prices rose nearly 3% on Wednesday, with the Brent contract hitting a one-month high, on concerns that an extended blockade of Iranian ports would prolong supply disruptions. The World Bank on Tuesday forecast energy prices would surge by 24% in 2026 to their highest level since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, if the most acute disruptions caused by the Iran war end in May.Iran’s guards take greater roleApril 29, 2026 4:45 pmHopes of a swift resolution to the conflict have receded since Trump last weekend scrapped a visit by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to mediator Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi visited the country twice during the weekend. Since several senior Iranian political and military figures were killed in US-Israeli strikes, Iran no longer has a single, undisputed clerical arbiter at the pinnacle of power, which may be hardening Tehran’s negotiating stance.Iran wants formal end to conflict firstApril 29, 2026 4:45 pmIran’s most recent offer for resolving the two-month war, suspended since April 8 under a ceasefire agreement, would set aside discussion of its nuclear programme until the conflict is formally ended and shipping issues resolved. That proposal did not meet Trump’s demand to have the nuclear issue discussed from the outset, however.Trump says King Charles does not want Iran to have nuclear weaponApril 29, 2026 8:39 amPresident Donald Trump said on Tuesday Britain’s King Charles did not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, introducing the fraught subject of the Middle East conflict into comments at a White House state dinner for the visiting royal. The event was held on the second day of a four-day visit to the United States at a tense time in ties, after Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what Trump calls lack of help in prosecuting the Iran war. “We’re doing a little Middle East work right now and we’re doing very well,” Trump said at the dinner. “We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever – Charles agrees with me even more than I do – we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.”Red Cross aims to assess humanitarian situation in IranApril 29, 2026 8:38 amCommittee of the Red Cross has arrived in Iran to meet with officials and local affiliates and assess the war’s humanitarian consequences. Mirjana Spoljaric will also discuss efforts of the Geneva-based humanitarian organization to ship more relief supplies to Iran, notably through the Iranian Red Crescent Society. The ICRC says it delivered more than 170 tons of essential relief items to help people affected by the conflict this month, with more medical items and forensic supplies on their way. Her visit is part of a trip through the region that involves bilateral discussions to help ensure respect for the rules of war, the organisation said.US military boards another ship as it enforces blockade on Iranian portsApril 29, 2026 8:32 amThe US military has said in a social media post that it boarded and released another commercial ship that was suspected of heading for Iran. The post by US Central Command on X included a video showed marines fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel, which it said was the Comoros-flagged M/V Blue Star III. It happened in the Arabian Sea, east of the Strait of Hormuz. “US forces released the vessel after conducting a search and confirming the ship’s voyage would not include an Iranian port call,” the command said on Tuesday. The command said it has now redirected 39 vessels since start of the blockade on ships going to and from Iranian ports.