Will War In Iran Really End "Very Soon"?

<p>Today, President Trump has told reporters Iran war will be over “very soon”, but not this week.</p><p>Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says this will be the “most intense” day of US strikes on Iran so far. So how close is the war to ending?</p><p>Alex and James are joined by Caitríona Perry, Chief Anchor of BBC News in Washington, to try to decode what Trump might mean.</p><p>Meanwhile, Trump has also threatened Iran with "death, fire, and fury" if it continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of global oil supplies.</p><p>Michelle Wiese Bockmann, senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward, joins Alex and James to explain why the Strait is so vital.</p><p>You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Harry Craig. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.</p>