Topline
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the interim peace deal with Iran is “over” as he described the country’s leaders as “sick people,” while speaking to reporters at the NATO summit in Turkey, on Wednesday, where he also blasted other members of the alliance for not previously backing him in the war with Tehran.
President Donald Trump said he believe the U.S. interim peace deal with Iran was “over” and lashed out at other key allies at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
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Key Facts
Speaking to reporters alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump was asked whether the memorandum of understanding that the two sides agreed to last month was dead, and he replied, “To me, I think it’s over.”
The president said he doesn’t want to deal with Iran’s leaders anymore, as he labeled them as “scum” and said, “they’re vicious, violent people.”
Referring to Khamenei’s funeral, Trump said the U.S. told the Iranians to go ahead and do the funeral, but instead of that, they started “shooting rockets at ships.”
Trump said he will speak to the U.S. negotiators, and noted it’s “a waste of time” dealing with Iran.
The president accused Iranian officials of engaging in double speak with regard to the negotiations and claimed that they would agree to a deal on matters like no nuclear weapons behind closed doors, and then say something opposite to the press.
When asked if he may be open to the resumption of talks, the president says he doesn’t care, “they can talk…I think they’re wasting their time.”
How Has this Impacted Oil Prices?
Threats of a resumed conflict and potential disruption in the Strait of Hormuz triggered a surge in global crude oil prices, with the benchmark Brent Crude Futures index surging above $79 a barrel, up from around $72 at the start of this week.
How Have Markets Reacted?
U.S. stock futures fell sharply on Wednesday after Trump declared an end to the ceasefire. The benchmark S&P 500 futures dropped more than 1% to 7,472.25 points, while down futures fell 1.3% to 52,506 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Futures were also hit hard, dropping 1.5% to 28,941 points. Key indices in Europe and Asia also saw sharp slumps.
What Trump Said About NATO Allies?
Aside from expressing anger and frustration over Iran, Trump also called out other members of the NATO alliance, while seated next to Rutte. The president told reporters: “I’m not happy with NATO because of what they did with Greenland, and I’m not happy with NATO because of the fact that they didn’t want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that’s Iran. They were unwilling to help us.” Spain emerged as the main target on Trump’s ire as the president declared the country as a “wasted cause.” Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has emerged as one of the most vocal critics among Western leaders of Trump’s war with Iran. He called Spain a “terrible partner” alleging that: “They don’t participate. They don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits.”
further reading
U.S. Begins ‘Powerful’ Strikes Against Iran Over Strait Of Hormuz Ship Attacks (Forbes)
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