Oil prices have eased and stock markets rallied as Donald Trump touted “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran, while momentum in AI-driven trading accelerated. The US president said he would briefly pause his “Project Freedom” operation escorting ships through the strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the global oil supplies and has been blockaded by Iran since late February, triggering an energy crisis. Trump said he was stopping the efforts for “a short period” so he could finalise a deal with Tehran but added that his blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place. The news sent Brent crude oil – which had jumped as much as 6% earlier this week on the latest attacks in the Middle East – tumbling 2% to $107 a barrel. Last week Brent crude hit $126 a barrel , its highest level since 2022, after Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports could last for months and peace talks remained stalled.…