President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday to agree to his terms for a deal ending the war “before it is too late.”
The United States has been engaged in negotiations with Iran over the past week, sending a proposed settlement that was publicly rejected by the regime on Wednesday. Trump said Iranian officials have been more open to making a deal in private talks, and demanded they take negotiations more seriously, echoing comments he made Wednesday evening at the annual Republican National Congressional Committee fundraising dinner.
“The Iranian negotiators are very different and ‘strange.’ They are ‘begging’ us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only ‘looking at our proposal,’” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social. “WRONG!!! They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”
The development comes after Trump announced on Tuesday he was pausing strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, “SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.” That deadline is up on Sunday, leaving Iran with little time to stall.
On Thursday, Trump went on Truth Social to once again air grievances against NATO, after members of the alliance expressed reluctance to aid the joint U.S.-Israel operation against Iran. He warned the alliance he would “never forget” its stance on the war.
“NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN. THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT ‘NEVER FORGET’ THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!” Trump wrote.
The president has expressed particular “disappointment” that NATO members didn’t come to his side to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which borders Iran. Most of the world’s energy supply flows through the tiny waterway connected to the Persian Gulf. The channel has become severely backed up since the war started, as shipping insurers are reluctant to take on the risk of backing vessels seeking to navigate the strait.
In the wake of the blockage, the world has experienced the largest disruption to the energy supply in history, driving oil prices to historic highs. Prices have settled somewhat since negotiations began in earnest, but the energy market remains rattled by the war.
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In an interview published Wednesday, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink weighed in on the energy crisis, warning that one outcome of the war could plunge the world into a “steep recession.”
“Iran remains a threat,” Fink said. “A threat to trade, a threat to the Strait of Hormuz, a threat to the peaceful coexistence of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] region. I would argue that we could have years of above $100 [oil prices], closer to $150, which has profound implications in the economy. The $40 oil implication is one of abundance and growth; the other is an outcome of a probably stark, steep recession. I don’t think anybody knows what the outcome will be.”
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