Trump's adept at changing rhetoric, so what does 'very soon' actually mean?published at 12:05 BST

12:05 BST

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

As always, with Donald Trump, it's important to remember that deadlines are constantly changing and that timelines are not always what they seem.

As the president himself said last week, "in Trump time, a day is an eternity."

As this war began, Trump suggested it might last "four to five weeks". White House officials have repeatedly used this formulation, with the Defence Secretary and others regularly saying Operation Epic Fury is ahead of schedule.

We’re halfway through week five now, so the president's suggestion last night that the war will end "very soon" but might take another two to three weeks already feels like an admission that this is taking longer than anticipated.

But deliberately or otherwise, the president paints a constantly shifting picture, talking one minute of negotiations proceeding rapidly and the next of threats to obliterate Iran’s energy infrastructure.

As Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, "the point is to be unpredictable".

The president is adept at changing his rhetoric to suit altered circumstances. When he gives his "important update" later tonight, it will be interesting to see if he’s any clearer on the definition of "very soon" and what he expects to have achieved by then.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump and his top officials appear to want a speedy exit from Iran as the US president signalled on Tuesday the country would exit the conflict soon. Let's take a look back at what he and others have said about when the war will end.

• On 9 March, Trump told CBS that the war was “very complete, pretty much” - and later said the war would be over “pretty quickly”
• Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected to finish its operations in Iran“in the next couple of weeks”. That was echoed by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who previously suggested the war could last up to six weeks
• On Monday, Donald Trump said the US was in “serious discussions” with a new Iranian regime to end the American military operation - but only if a deal is reached and the Strait of Hormuz is immediately “open for business”. Iran denies having any negotiations with the US
• On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the war was “definitely beyond the halfway point”, later clarifying he meant in terms of missions, not time
• Yesterday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there was an “urgency” to finish the job - and that negotiations were “gaining strength”
• Then, last night, Trump said the US will "leave" Iran in "two to three weeks" when it is certain the regime cannot build a nuclear weapon "for years"

Starmer sending deliberate and meaningful message in updatepublished at 11:48 BST

11:48 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

The prime minister was adamant that he would not be choosing between the US and the EU.

But Sir Keir Starmer decided to use today’s press conference, which was called in the context of a spiralling conflict about which the UK and the US profoundly disagree, to advertise his determination to get closer to the EU.

That was a deliberate and meaningful political decision, even if Starmer has been moving in that direction for a few months now.

We already knew that there was going to be a second annual UK-EU summit in a month or two’s time, and we already knew that the UK government hoped to use it not only to complete existing negotiations on areas of cooperation but also to seek deeper ties in other areas.

Still, it was interesting to see how much emphasis Starmer placed on this summit as a moment of economic significance. That said, the PM said that Labour’s 2024 election manifesto still stood, which is to say the commitments that the UK would neither rejoin the EU’s customs union or its single market.

But it feels increasingly like the government wants to get as close as possible to single market membership as it can from outside the bloc. Of course, Theresa May wanted that once too, but the EU resisted “cherrypicking” — the idea that the UK could have what it saw as the benefits of the single market (economic cooperation through shared regulations) without what it saw as the drawbacks (the free movement of people).

Those old debates are coming right back to the heart of British politics.

Esyllt Carr
Business reporter, BBC News

An additional 1.3m households could face higher mortgage payments by the end of 2028 as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, according to the Bank of England’s latest report into the risks facing the global economy.

The bank's financial policy committee says 5.2 million households could face increases in mortgage costs by the end of 2028, based on current rates, compared to 3.9 million before the conflict began.

But it says in a new report “typical increases in mortgage payments would remain modest” compared with those in recent years, such as after the mini-budget in 2022.

Since the US-Israel war in Iran began, oil and gas prices have increased rapidly, and the cost of government borrowing has risen.

With Trump belittling the UK, Starmer repeated his desire for closer EU ties with urgencypublished at 11:26 BST

11:26 BST

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

What we heard from the prime minister this morning spanned the global to the local.

He always insists he won’t choose between the US and Europe.

But with Trump questioning Nato and belittling the UK’s military standing it was interesting that Keir Starmer didn’t just repeat his desire for more defence co-operation with the EU - he said it with more urgency.

He also emphasised the desire for closer economic ties with the EU.

Simon Atkinson
Australia reporter

Image source, Reuters

Australia’s Prime Minster Anthony Albanese has delivered an address to the nation about how the country is being affected by the war in the Middle East.

The broadcast speech comes the day fuel duty cuts mean petrol and diesel become a little cheaper for motorists who have been facing surging prices.

Albanese tells Australians the months ahead may not be easy and calls on people to go about life as normal but asked them “do their bit”.

This includes not taking more fuel than needed and for those who can, to switch to using public transport.

Image source, Getty Images

The news conference has now come to an end, but before it did Starmer responded to a question about a recent threat from Trump that the US would no longer come to the aid of the UK.

Starmer said there's been "a good deal of pressure on me to change my position in relation to joining the [Iran] war, and I'm not going to change my position on the war.

"Whatever the pressure, whatever the noise, I am the British prime minister and I have to act in our national interests."

As a reminder, Trump took to Truth Social yesterday to tell allies, including the UK: "You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore".

Shortly before the press conference we reported Donald Trump was considering pulling the US out of Nato after repeated criticism of the bloc's refusal to become involved in the war. Trump has also singled out the UK and Starmer numerous times.

Asked whether he's forging closer ties to Europe as his relationship with Trump deteriorates, Starmer says he's not choosing between the continent and the US.

"I think it's in our interest to have a strong relationship with the US and with Europe," he says.

"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 also says that stronger co-operation with the continent will help relations with the United States.

Asked whether people in the UK should be looking at changing their behaviours in response to the increasing economic pressures, Starmer replies the government is monitoring the situation closely.

He says the economic situation will all depend on how long the conflict goes on for, and how quickly the Strait of Hormuz re-opens.

He is also asked about the rise in fuel duty that's scheduled for September - he says it's being kept under review, a position he has taken before.

Starmer says it is "increasingly clear" that the UK's "long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union".

The opportunities to "strengthen our security and cut the cost of living" are "simply too big to ignore", he adds, announcing that a summit with EU partners will occur in the near future.

In the coming weeks, he says he will announce a new summit with EU partners designed to forge partnerships in a "dangerous world".

It comes following Donald Trump's repeated criticisms of the UK and European allies in response to the war.

Image source, Getty Images

Starmer moves on to the economy. "I do have to level with people, this will not be easy," he says.

Starmer says he is not prepared to ask the British people "once again, to go through a crisis, come out of it, and say 'business as usual, back to the status quo'".

He refers to measures the government has previously announced to address living costs, including capping energy bills and having fuel duty cuts in place until September.

Starmer announces Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will be hosting a summit of international leaders to discuss plans to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait has been in effect blocked by Iran in response to Israeli-US strikes, causing global energy prices to rise as a result of the constraints on the key shipping corridor.

Starmer reiterates previous assertions that the UK will not be drawn into the conflict in the Middle East and that the best way to address rising costs of living is to push for de-escalation and ensure the Strait of Hormuz is re-opened.

Every diplomatic avenue available is being explored, he says.

Keir Starmer is delivering a press conference at Downing Street on the effects of the war in the Middle East.

We will bring you the key lines and you can watch live by clicking play at the top of this page.

Donald Trump is strongly considering pulling the US out of Nato, according to an interview he gave to the Telegraph.

The newspaper says Trump called the alliance a "paper tiger" and claimed the UK does not have a navy.

Asked if he would reconsider the US's membership of the alliance after the conflict in the Middle East, Trump said: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration...

“I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”

“You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” he added, referring to the state of Britain’s fleet of warships.

We're seeing new pictures from Lebanon showing extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Israel has been carrying out strikes on the country since 2 March and last week expanded its ground operation into the south.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Starmer likely to face questions on deteriorating relations with Trumppublished at 09:53 BST

09:53 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, EPA

Sir Keir Starmer will give a press conference from Downing Street soon, focusing on the conflict in the Middle East and what it means for the British economy.

On the diplomatic side, expect the prime minister to face questions about his deteriorating relationship with President Trump. He may try to avoid responding directly to the president’s assertion that the UK should “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz.

Yet it’s been striking in recent weeks how willing Starmer has been to embrace the fact that he resisted pressure from Trump for the UK to play a greater role in the war.

On the economic side, expect the prime minister to reiterate the position of his chancellor that support is coming for those who need it – but not until the autumn. That is coming under pressure from opposition parties who believe that there are immediate measures the government should take both on fuel prices and household energy bills.

As today is 1 April, there are various new prices taking effect today. The energy price cap of course – which means that for many prices will fall before the now-inevitable price rise – but also increases in the minimum wage rates, the state pension and working age benefits.

It is likely that Starmer will argue that these amount to support with the cost of living, even though they were planned before this conflict.

A spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthis says the group has carried out a third strike on Israel.

The Yemen-based group fired missile at "sensitive targets of the Israeli enemy" in the south of the country, Yahya Sarea says in a video statement translated by Reuters.

He adds that the operation was conducted in co-operation with Iran and Hezbollah. The group entered the conflict on the weekend by firing projectiles at Israel.

Simon Browning
Business Reporter

Image source, PA Media

The trade body representing airlines operating in the UK says they “are currently not seeing disruption to jet fuel supply”.

Airlines UK says it continues to engage with fuel suppliers and government to monitor the situation.

Other airline sources have told the BBC they have good visibility and supply for the next five to six weeks and there are no crisis meetings happening about operational supply.

Reports have suggested that the UK is a week away from running out of jet fuel, something that aviation leaders do not recognise, with one referring to that as "sensationalist".

While there are issues with supply in other regions of the world, those who have spoken to the BBC say it could present problems - but those problems are not imminent.

One aviation source fears that "we are talking ourselves into something that isn’t real".

As Iran and Israel trade strikes this morning, Gulf states are continuing to face projectile attacks.

• UAE: A Bangladeshi man died after debris from an intercepted drone fell at a farm in the emirate of Fujairah
• Qatar: A tanker off the coast of the country was struck by "two projectiles", according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre
• Bahrain: Sirens sounded this morning, according to the Ministry of Interior, and emergency workers responded to a fire "in a facility of a company as a result of the Iranian aggression"
• Saudi Arabia: The defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed two drones this morning and more last night
• Kuwait: Fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport were targeted by drones, according to the civil aviation authority, who blamed Iran. It said a "large fire" broke out and the attack resulted in "significant damage" but no casualties

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Image source, EPA

It’s still very difficult to contact those inside Iran amid a government-imposed internet outage, but from what I’ve heard, the strikes on the city mostly happened early this morning.

“I feel like I’ve been in a purgatory for a month. I can’t do anything, and everything is up in the air. I’m so tired of the war,” a Tehran man in his 20s says.

Some still support the strikes. A woman in her 40s in the capital tells me: “I want them to continue striking. I’m tired of this situation, I want them [clerics] to go.”

Some have tried to find routines for themselves as the war goes on, like going to cafes, walking outside in a park, or going to the gym.