President Donald Trump said Wednesday that any Trump-Iran ceasefire demand at Hormuz would depend on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, ruling out a truce until the key shipping route is “open, free, and clear.” He also said Iran had asked for a ceasefire, although Tehran insisted there were no ongoing negotiations.
The White House said Trump would deliver an important national address at 9:00 pm, his first prime-time speech since the conflict began. Earlier, he had suggested the war could end in “two weeks, maybe three,” but later signalled that US strikes would intensify in the short term.
Trump said the United States would continue military action until its objectives were fully achieved. He claimed those goals were close, while also threatening to hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks.
He added that regime change had not been the original goal, but said it had occurred because Iran’s original leader had died. Trump also warned that if no deal was reached, the United States could strike Iran’s electric generating plants, possibly at the same time.
President Trump said in his address to the nation on Wednesday that the U.S. "imports almost no oil" through the Strait of Hormuz and "won't be taking any in the future."
The president went on to say that the Strait of Hormuz will "open up naturally" when the conflict is over. pic.twitter.com/0boDeKJmMc
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 2, 2026Iran denies talks as Strait of Hormuz stays closed
Iran rejected the idea that negotiations were underway. President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country had the will for a ceasefire, but only if its enemies guaranteed that hostilities would not resume.
Meanwhile, Iran launched fresh missile strikes on Israel and US-allied Gulf nations, as explosions were reported in Tehran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed to the country’s “enemies.”
Read: Argentina Designates IRGC as Terrorist Organization
The Guards further said they had hit an oil tanker in the Gulf that they claimed belonged to Israel. A British maritime security agency reported that a vessel was struck off Qatar and damaged, though it said there were no casualties.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: We’ve decimated Iran both militarily and economically. The countries who receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz must now take care of that passage.
We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil they so desperately depend on. pic.twitter.com/2OmKAJL8Eg
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 2, 2026The conflict has triggered a wider energy shock because the Strait of Hormuz normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil. While Trump’s comments about a possible end to the war helped push oil prices lower on Wednesday, broader market concerns remain in place.
The source text says average US gasoline prices rose above $4 a gallon for the first time in four years. It also says European inflation jumped, while governments began announcing support measures amid pressure from higher energy costs.
Britain said it would host a meeting of about 35 countries this week to discuss reopening the Strait. At the same time, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he still receives messages from US envoy Steve Witkoff, but stressed that this does not mean formal negotiations are taking place.
