Symbolic imageTrump says US needs no Iran deal and pulls Vance from talks
Trump said on Thursday the US does not need a deal with Iran and told Vice President JD Vance to focus on domestic corruption. Oil prices rose after the post.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: "We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We've got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we've got their Strait!" It came a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Vance was weighing a face-to-face meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council; Reuters has not confirmed this. Rezaei called such reports "lie and slander" meant to push down oil prices, according to FAZ. Vance had blamed the war for Republicans' midterm losses a week earlier.
Oil reverses course
Brent January futures turned from a 0.74% loss to a 1.66% gain at $94.30 per barrel after the post, TASS reported.
Tehran waits and warns
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera the ball is in Washington's court and that Iran's seven conditions, including lifting the US naval blockade, must be met first. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called Iran's demands absurd. Rezaei warned that Iran would hit distant US bases, including in Europe, if the US launched a major new attack.
Tankers hit in Hormuz
Iran's military said four oil tankers were hit by explosions on Thursday after ignoring Iranian warnings.