U.S. stocks and gold surge across the board! The Iranian president says Iran is willing to end the war once their demands are met.

According to a report by China Central Television (CCTV News), local time on Tuesday (March 31), Iranian President Pezeshkian said that Iran is willing to end the war, but only on the condition that its demands are met—especially assurances that it will no longer be subjected to aggression.

Spurred by this development, U.S. stocks strengthened in the short term. By the close, the Nasdaq rose 3.83%, the S&P 500 Index gained 2.91%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 2.49%.

Spot gold moved higher to touch 4667 dollars per ounce, rising more than 3.4% during the day. Brent crude fell by more than 3% on the day, while NYMEX crude dropped by more than 1%.

That day, Pezeshkian held a phone call with the President of the European Council, Costa, exchanging views on the regional situation and the impact of the war on Iran.

Pezeshkian claimed that Iran is willing to end its current conflict with Israel and the United States, but the condition is that key prerequisites must be met—especially guarantees to prevent “acts of aggression” from happening again.

He said that the EU has remained silent regarding the crimes committed by the United States and Israel, which is regrettable and also contrary to its human-rights positions it advocates. He pointed out that Iran has no intention of attacking regional countries, but the United States has military bases in some countries, and the attacks against Iran are launched from those bases.

Pezeshkian emphasized that the current tension in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is caused by hostile actions, and the only way to restore normal order is to stop aggressive attacks. He also said that the Strait of Hormuz has closed to the ships of the aggressor and its allies, and any external power intervening in this war on any pretext will trigger serious consequences.

Costa later posted on social media saying that the situation in the Middle East is “extremely dangerous” and calling on Iran to take de-escalation steps. “To ease tensions, I urge Iran to stop unacceptable attacks on regional countries and to actively participate in the diplomatic process, especially by cooperating with the United Nations to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi also subsequently said that the current situation is “not negotiations,” but rather an exchange of information through direct channels or through “regional friends.” The Iranian side has not yet made a final decision on negotiation principles, but Iran’s conditions for ending the war are “very clear”: Iran “will not agree to a ceasefire,” but instead demands the “complete end to the war across the entire region.”

Amid the remarks from Iran’s leadership, U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth said that the coming days would be a “decisive moment” for the war with Iran, while also refusing to rule out the possibility of deploying ground forces.

He also said that although U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran have been ongoing for more than a month, negotiations to end the war are moving forward. “These negotiations are real, are continuing, remain active, and I think momentum is building.”

However, when asked about concerns from some supporters within the United States that ground forces could be deployed, Hegseth did not make an explicit commitment.

He said, “If you tell the opponent in advance what you will do or won’t do, you can’t win the war—including whether you will deploy ground forces.”

Hegseth’s remarks about the progress of negotiations were consistent with what the White House said the day before. The White House said that peace negotiations with Iran are still moving forward and that there is a difference between Iran’s public statements and what was communicated privately.

Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with some allies that do not support the United States using force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and said that countries unhappy with high oil prices should “go get the oil themselves.”

Trump posted on his social platform: “You have to start learning to fight for yourselves. The United States won’t provide help the way it did in the past—just like you didn’t help us back then. Iran has already been seriously weakened, and the hardest part is over. If you want oil, go fight for it yourself.”

（Source: Caixin Global）