Paris (France) (AFP) - Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Trump to address nation -

US President Donald Trump will address Americans on the Iran war later Wednesday, his first prime-time speech since the conflict began, as his approval ratings plunge and economic anxiety rises.

The White House gave no details on the address, but it comes hours after Trump claimed Iran had sought a pause in hostilities, and that fighting could be over in “two weeks, maybe three”.

- Iran denies it seeks ceasefire -

Iran denied US President Donald Trump’s assertion that Tehran had asked for a ceasefire, state television reported, citing the foreign ministry.

“Trump’s statements about Iran’s request for a ceasefire are false and baseless,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei was quoted as saying.

Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards insisted that the strategic strait of Hormuz will remain closed to the country’s “enemies”, as Trump said re-opening the Straits was one of his conditions for a ceasefire.

- Israel kills Hezbollah commander -

Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander, two sources told AFP, in a Beirut strike that Lebanon’s health ministry said killed seven people.

A Lebanese security source and a Hezbollah source told AFP that the commander, Youssef Hashem, had been responsible for the group’s military affairs in Iraq. Israel’s military said Hashem was Hezbollah’s commander for its south Lebanon front.

- Lebanon says deathtoll tops 1,300 -

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed 1,318 people in the country since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, raising a previous toll of 1,268 a day earlier.

Those killed included 91 women, 125 children and 53 health workers, said the ministry, with 3,935 other people wounded.

- UK to host Hormuz meeting -

Britain will on Thursday host a video-conference of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital thoroughfare for much of the world’s seaborne oil and gas, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced.

It will “assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities”, he said.

- UN warns of rights crackdown -

Iran and countries across the Middle East are using the war as an excuse to clamp down on rights, the UN warned Wednesday, denouncing attempts to restrict the press in Israel and the United States.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that governments had dramatically tightened security and restrictions on people’s actions and movements in public spaces, infringing on their rights.

- Stocks rally, oil drops -

Global stocks rallied and oil prices fell Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the Middle East war could be over within weeks.

International oil benchmark Brent was down one percent after falling as much as five percent earlier. The main US contract WTI dropped two percent.

burs-gv/jj