US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that gasoline prices appeared to have peaked after a surge linked to the Iran war -- a marked shift in tone a day after President Donald Trump publicly rebuked his earlier, more cautious outlook.

"I don't know the future of energy prices -- often I will speculate or look at those things. I would say, gasoline prices, it looks like they peaked about a week or so ago," Wright told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Mobina Rasoulian, a 19-year-old student in Tehran, has been trying to make the most of nearly two weeks without bombing thanks to the ceasefire in the Middle East war that may have just hours left to run.

"I went out without being stressed, I roamed around, went to cafes, restaurants, and here and there," she said of the truce that began on April 8.

Babak Samiei, a 49-year-old engineer, on his way back from a yoga class, said "I tried to get back as much as I can to the routines of my life".

"In the 40 days of war we could not do anything," he added.

PARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - The conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel is creating the worst energy crisis ever faced by the world, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday.

"This is indeed the biggest crisis in history," Birol told France Inter radio in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

"The crisis is already huge, if you combine the effects of the petrol crisis and the gas crisis with Russia," he added.

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday that he did not want to extend a ceasefire with Iran, adding the U.S. was in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called a great deal.

"I don't want to do that. We don't have that much time," Trump said when asked about the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

Washington has expressed confidence that talks with Iran will go ahead in Pakistan, and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta

CAIRO/RAMALLAH, April 21 (Reuters) - Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday after Israeli settlers and soldiers opened fire, witnesses said, while in Gaza health officials said two Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said two Palestinians were killed and four others were wounded by Israeli settler gunfire in al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah. The Palestinian health ministry said the two killed were aged 14 and 32.

LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained broadly halted on Tuesday with only three ships passing the waterway in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed.

A U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has infuriated Tehran, prompting it to maintain its own restrictions on the strait, which had been typically handling roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

By John Irish

PARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - Lebanon's prime minister and French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss on Tuesday how to strengthen the country's hand in possible direct negotiations with Israel in the United States later this week, as Beirut turns to a trusted European ally.

The U.S. will host ambassador-level talks with Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, although it remains unclear whether the objective is to extend a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah or pave the way for deeper negotiations.

Outside her gutted home in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh, Zainab Farran, who recently lost two members of her family in Israeli strikes, keeps her clothes packed in a car in case the temporary truce between Hezbollah and Israel does not last.

She returned to the city with her family as soon as the 10-day ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon, which included the Lebanese militant group, went into force on Friday, only to find their home in ruins from Israeli bombardment.

By Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS, April 21 (Reuters) - NATO criticised Russian and Chinese nuclear arms policies on Tuesday and urged both countries to work with the United States to establish greater stability and transparency at an upcoming international conference.

In a statement, NATO's 32 members underlined their "strong commitment to the full implementation" of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a cornerstone of global arms control since it entered into force in 1970.

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, April 21 (Reuters) - Lebanon’s parliament speaker warned on Tuesday that Israeli forces occupying parts of the country's south would face resistance if they fail to withdraw, signalling a risk of renewed confrontation ahead of U.S.-mediated talks this week.