LIVE: US to deploy more warships, but hints at pullback and eases oil sanctions

Cuba refuses to let US Embassy in Havana import diesel for its generators

The Cuban government has refused a request by the US Embassy in Havana to allow it to import diesel for its generators while the Trump administration continues to impose a fuel blockade on the island, according to two US officials familiar with the matter.

The Cuban government turned down the request as the US State Department has been weighing a reduction in staffing at the embassy in Havana because of the lack of diesel. Such a move would likely lead to a US demand for a similar reduction in staffing at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, say the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

Cuba has struggled with dwindling oil since the US removed Venezuela's leader, halting critical petroleum shipments from the nation. President Donald Trump then threatened tariffs on any country selling or supplying Cuba with oil.

The island is relying on its own natural gas, solar power and its own oil to run thermoelectric plants, but that hasn't been enough to meet demand. The standoff on diesel comes as Trump has been pressing for dramatic change in government led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Trump has suggested that top Cuban leaders would be smart to avoid the fate of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was ousted and arrested in a US military operation in January. Venezuela had been Cuba's closest ally and provided it with heavily subsidized oil.

US shifts missiles toward Iran, raising concerns over gaps in Europe’s air defences

 A sizeable number of US Patriot air defence missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington diverts resources toward its war on Iran, leaving concerning gaps in Europe's air defences against Russia, US defence officials have said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. 

One of the officials said stocks of Patriot missiles are “absolutely” dwindling in Europe and elsewhere because of the war in Iran, and added the situation is “pretty concerning.” Asked to comment on the missiles being moved, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to AP: “The US military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and weapons stockpiles to achieve the goals of Operation Epic Fury laid out by President Trump — and beyond.” 

US sanctions on global network financing Hezbollah

The United States has imposed sanctions on a global financial network linked to Hezbollah, which is designated by Washington as a foreign terrorist organisation.

“Today, the United States is imposing sanctions to disrupt a global financial network that supports Hizballah (Hezbollah). This action targets individuals and entities involved in laundering and raising funds for Hizballah’s finance team through a range of companies and projects operating across the Middle East, Europe, and North America,” Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said in a statement.

He said by cutting off these financial channels, the United States is taking concrete steps to limit Hezbollah’s ability to generate revenue for terrorism and evade sanctions.

“Hizballah's reckless attack on Israel demonstrates yet again that it prioritises the pursuit of terrorism on behalf of the Iranian regime over the peace and safety of the Lebanese people,” Pigott said. Hezbollah continues to spend millions of dollars on terrorism, leaving Lebanese civilians to deal with the consequences and depriving them of a normal life, he said.

By targeting Hezbollah’s financial enablers, the Trump Administration is taking decisive action to disrupt the group’s ability to threaten the security of the United States and the Middle East, Pigott said.

A separate statement by the Department of Treasury said its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating a network of 16 individuals and entities led by Hezbollah financier and former public investment official Alaa Hassan Hamieh.

US shows mixed signals: says will deploy more warships, but hints at pullback, eases oil sanctions

Three weeks into an escalating war in the Middle East, Iran threatened on Friday to expand its retaliatory attacks to include recreational and tourist sites worldwide, as the US announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region.

Hours later, President Donald Trump said on social media that his administration in fact was considering “winding down” military operations in the region. His post came after another climb in oil plunged the US stock market. The mixed messages came as the war has shown no signs of abating.

Iran launched more attacks on Israel and energy sites in neighbouring Gulf Arab states, and the region marked one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar. Iranians were also celebrating the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday, as Israeli airstrikes landed in Tehran.

With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained in the punishing US and Israeli strikes, which began on February 28 -- or even who was truly in charge of the country. But Iran's attacks are still choking off oil supplies and raising food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East.

Meanwhile, US officials announced that the Trump administration will lift sanctions on Iranian oil stranded at sea under a one-month license as the White House tries to bring down soaring oil prices. The pause applies to Iranian oil loaded on ships as of Friday and is set to end April 19.

The US and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hoping to foment an uprising that topples Iran's leadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programmes. There have been no public signs of any such uprising and no end to the war in sight.

Later, in his social media post, Trump said, “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.” That seemed at odds with his administration's move to bolster its firepower in the region and request another $200 billion from Congress to fund the war.

The US is deploying three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the Middle East, an official told The Associated Press. Two other US officials confirmed that ships were deploying, without saying where they were headed. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.