A workman studies the scene of an antisemitic arson attack in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London, on March 24, 2026. [AFP]
US President Donald Trump said a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come as soon as Wednesday but warned Iran it would get "hit very hard" if negotiations fell through.
Transit of the waterway, a key conduit for global oil and gas supplies, has been a sticking point in talks and led to renewed fighting following an April ceasefire.
Iran has tightened its grip on Hormuz and wants to control the strait and charge tolls -- powers it did not exercise before the war began on February 28.
Trump said Tuesday a deal with Iran to reopen Hormuz could happen "tomorrow or the next day," telling reporters in California that negotiators "had a very good day."
Earlier, he struck a more threatening tone.
"The strait is going to be open very soon, or they're going to get hit very hard -- and then the strait's going to be open," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.