Have 'no trust' in US, 'finger on trigger': Iran Guards

TEHRAN, Apr 08 (AFP): Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday that they had "no trust" in promises from the United States despite a two-week ceasefire deal, adding that their "finger was on the trigger".
"The Iranian nation's dedicated guards are listening to the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, His Holiness Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, and their finger is on the trigger," read a statement on their Telegram channel.
Calling on Gulf countries to end their "cooperation" with the United States, the Guards added: "The enemy has always been deceitful, and we have no trust in its promises, and we will respond to every aggression at a greater level."
Iran will have to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium or the United States will "get it," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday, while remaining unclear on how that would be done.
The Pentagon chief said the United States has Iran's stockpile under observation and suggested that another bombing attack like one conducted against the suspected sites in June could be carried out.
"We're watching it. We know what they have, and they will give it up, and we'll get it, and we'll take it. If we have to, we can do it in any, any means necessary," Hegseth said.
"They'll give it to us voluntarily, we'll get it, we'll take it, we'll take it out, or if we have to do something else ourselves, like we did Midnight Hammer or something like that, we reserve that opportunity."

European, Canadian
leaders urge 'swift
and lasting end'
to Iran war
The leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the European Union welcomed Wednesday the US-Iran ceasefire and urged a "swift and lasting end" to the war.
"The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means," read a joint statement.

China, UN chief
'welcome' Middle
East ceasefire deal
China said on Wednesday it welcomed a ceasefire in the Middle East, underlining its role in encouraging a deal between the United States and Iran to pause hostilities for two weeks.
Tehran has agreed to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's oil, gas and fertiliser passes, easing concerns for the battered global economy.
The announcement came shortly before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump, who had threatened to obliterate Iran if it did not negotiate.
Trump told AFP on Tuesday he believed China, which has sought to mediate in the conflict since its outbreak, had a hand in bringing Iran to the negotiating table.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the US-Iran two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, his spokesperson said, while urging all parties to work toward long-term peace in the Middle East.
"The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of a two-week ceasefire by the United States and Iran," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
He added that the UN chief "calls on all the parties to the current conflict in the Middle East to comply with their obligations under international law and to abide by the terms of the ceasefire in order to pave the way toward a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region."

Iranian drone attack in
Bahrain injures two
Two people sustained light injuries following an Iranian drone attack in Bahrain on Wednesday, the interior ministry said, hours after a US-Iran truce took effect.
"As a result of the Iranian aggression, two citizens sustained minor injuries and a number of houses were damaged in the Sitra area as a result of shrapnel falling from the interception of an Iranian drone," the Bahraini interior ministry said in a post on X.

Erdogan warns of
'sabotage' in ceasefire
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Wednesday of the threat from "possible provocations and sabotage" to the ceasefire accord agreed by Iran and the United States.
In a message on X welcoming the last-minute accord, Erdogan said: "We hope that the ceasefire will be fully implemented on the ground without giving any opportunity for possible provocations and sabotage."

Starmer heads to Gulf,
welcomes Iran truce
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to the Gulf on Wednesday to meet with regional leaders in an effort to bolster the ceasefire in the Middle East war, Downing Street said.
"I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world," a statement from Starmer's office quoted him as saying.