Just as things were looking up for the peace efforts in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday crushed hopes again, with fresh warnings to Iran. During his remarks at the G7 Summit in France, Trump said that no deal had been finalised with Iran, and warned he would resume “dropping bombs” and go back to shooting if Tehran did not abide by its obligations.
Trump clarified that only a memorandum of understanding was in the works, and that no deal had been finalised. “If I don’t like it we will go back to shooting at them,” Trump said, adding: “If they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head.”
He made the remarks sitting alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Trump further trained guns at Islamic Republic of Iran for “misbehaving for 47 years”.
The sentiment Trump expressed in his latest remarks was much harsher than what he earlier said at the same G7 gathering. He had called the potential deal a very “powerful document”, announcing that its content could be out “pretty soon”.
Signing likely in 2 days
His remarks come just days ahead of an agreement expected to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, June 19. Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf are reportedly set to attend.
The talks on a final US-Iran settlement to end the conflict are set to begin immediately after the signing of the accord and continue over a 60-day window to flesh out its details.
Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that the US and Iran have “never been closer” to a deal, and Trump had backed that sentiment.
US blockade lifted, oil prices go down
Trump’s fresh threats to Iran could hamper some progress made last week when both sides expressed hope of reaching an agreement soon.
According to news agency AFP, the US naval blockade was observed to be lifted in part. Iranian oil tankers exited the zone in the Gulf blockaded by the US Navy, the TankerTrackers website reportedly said, calling it the country’s “first crude oil exports in two months”. It came after an Iranian deputy foreign minister said the two-month US naval blockade on Iranian ports had been lifted.
Oil prices also eased on optimisim of a deal as international benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell to a three-month low under $79 per barrel on Tuesday, while the main US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, fell under $76 a barrel.
