US, Iran trade barbs as Saudi crown prince and UAE VP meet

Trump says he does not know if Iran will ‘give up yet’
US President Donald Trump has said Iran is doing “very poorly” in the war with the US and does not know “if they are going to give up yet”, while speaking to reporters outside the White House following a meeting with AI executives.

Trump repeated the claim that the US has facilitated the passage of the largest number of ships through the Strait of Hormuz “at any point in history” in recent days, adding “including long before we had the war to stop the nuclear weapon”.
Yemeni government forces claim 414 ‘precision strikes’ on Houthis in last 24 hours
Yemen’s armed forces spokesman Majid al-Nuzaili says Yemeni government forces have carried out 414 “precision strikes” targeting Houthi positions over the past 24 hours.

In a statement, al-Nuzaili said the operations had been a success, “neutralising numerous Houthi personnel and assets”.EU Energy Commissioner: Energy crisis caused by price surge, not resource shortages
European Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen has told Al Jazeera that Europe’s energy crisis, caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure, is more about rising prices than resource shortages.

The EU’s oil reserves are designed to withstand crises, according to Jorgensen. He made the comments a little over a week after French President Emmanuel Macron urged the commission to temporarily relax some EU fuel-quality specifications to give refineries more production capacity.

Energy prices in EU countries are harming local companies and citizens who are struggling to pay their bills, Jorgensen said.

He added that relations with Washington have grown complicated due to trade disputes and unpredictable policies.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the Paris-based International Energy Agency, also took part in the meetings. He acknowledged the “challenging situation Europe faces for several fuels” and called for “strong cooperation on energy security”.