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President Trump said he “might have forced” the attacks on Iran, and that it’s unclear who will take over. Oil and gas prices surged, and stock markets fell after U.S. officials said strikes would intensify.

Here’s the latest.

lobal stock markets tumbled on Tuesday, and the price of oil surged, as the widening conflict in the Middle East sent a shudder through the world economy and American and Israeli officials signaled that their bombing campaign against Iran could last weeks.

Speaking to reporters at the start of a White House meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, President Trump said he made the decision to go to war to pre-empt Iranian attacks. “We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack,” he said. “They were going to attack if we didn’t do it.”At the beginning of this meeting, Merz said that in today’s meeting with Trump, “we will talk about the day after. What will happen then if they are out.” It was a sign of the nervousness around the world about the seeming lack of a clear plan for what will happen in Iran after this war ends.

Trump claims he has “the right” to stop “all business” that the United States does with Spain. He turns Scott Bessent, his Treasury secretary, who affirmed Trump’s declaration that he had the right to tariff.

Trump also just asserted on oil prices, “as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop, I believe lower than even before.”

It’s an indication that Trump may see higher prices at the pump as a vulnerability in this midterm election year.

Trump was asked how worried he was that his war with Iran would result in rising oil prices that “damage the economy.” After a bit of back and forth, Trump conceded: “If we have a little high oil prices for a little while, but as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop.”

Trump complained that the Biden administration “gave away a lot of high-end” munitions to Ukraine, while insisting that “we still have a tremendous amount of munitions.”

It is an indication that the war in Iran could make it harder for Ukraine to get access to the sophisticated, U.S.-made weaponry that has been key in allowing Kyiv to ward off Russian strikes and to hit targets behind Russian lines.

When Merz first visited Trump in the Oval Office, last June, he spoke so sparingly that some in the German news media compared him to a movie extra. This time, he might have even fewer lines.

Trump also just asserted on oil prices, “as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop, I believe lower than even before.”

It’s an indication that Trump may see higher prices at the pump as a vulnerability in this midterm election year.

Trump was asked how worried he was that his war with Iran would result in rising oil prices that “damage the economy.” After a bit of back and forth, Trump conceded: “If we have a little high oil prices for a little while, but as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop.”

Trump complained that the Biden administration “gave away a lot of high-end” munitions to Ukraine, while insisting that “we still have a tremendous amount of munitions.”

It is an indication that the war in Iran could make it harder for Ukraine to get access to the sophisticated, U.S.-made weaponry that has been key in allowing Kyiv to ward off Russian strikes and to hit targets behind Russian lines.

When Merz first visited Trump in the Oval Office, last June, he spoke so sparingly that some in the German news media compared him to a movie extra. This time, he might have even fewer lines.

Trump compared the war with Iran to his operation seizing President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, where “we kept the government totally intact” under the country’s new leader, Delcy Rodriguez. But he quickly made it clear that the situation in Iran was totally different, given that the U.S. and Israeli bombings have killed so many senior Iranian officials that soon, Trump said, “we’re not going to know anybody.”Merz, speaking after a long stretch of watching Trump answer questions, says higher oil prices from the war were hurting the global economy and a reason to try to end the war quickly.

Trump said Germany was letting America land in certain places when helpful. “We’re not asking them to put boots on the ground.”

Trump is now dinging the United States’s European allies who aren’t going along with his war efforts. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain; we don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he says. “By the way, I’m not happy with the U.K. either.”

He adds, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

Trump just said, “Some of the European nations have been helpful, some haven’t” in the war. He singles out Germany as helpful and Spain as unhelpful. Trump is now complaining about Spain, saying American forces could not use its bases for the attacks on Iran.

Trump is now dinging the United States’s European allies who aren’t going along with his war efforts. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain; we don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he says. “By the way, I’m not happy with the U.K. either.”

He adds, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

Trump just said, “Some of the European nations have been helpful, some haven’t” in the war. He singles out Germany as helpful and Spain as unhelpful. Trump is now complaining about Spain, saying American forces could not use its bases for the attacks on Iran.

“I guess he is, some people like him,” Trump said when asked if Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was an “option” to run the country. Trump says he “seems like a very nice person,” but also concedes it’s probably not realistic.

Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are sitting beside him, on a couch in the Oval.

Trump also offered the number of protesters killed by the government in Iran as another rationale for the war.

Trump is asked what the worst-case scenario in Iran could be. “I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over whose as bad as the previous person, right,” he asks. “That could happen.”

When asked who he’d like to take over, he gave a blunt answer: “Most of the people we had in mind are dead.”

He said their backup option after those people are now also dead. It’s a stunning admission from the president. The U.S.-Israeli military operation is killing the same people it wants to run the country it is attacking.

Trump is now dinging the United States’s European allies who aren’t going along with his war efforts. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain; we don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he says. “By the way, I’m not happy with the U.K. either.”

He adds, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

Trump just said, “Some of the European nations have been helpful, some haven’t” in the war. He singles out Germany as helpful and Spain as unhelpful. Trump is now complaining about Spain, saying American forces could not use its bases for the attacks on Iran.

“I guess he is, some people like him,” Trump said when asked if Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was an “option” to run the country. Trump says he “seems like a very nice person,” but also concedes it’s probably not realistic.

Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are sitting beside him, on a couch in the Oval.

Trump also offered the number of protesters killed by the government in Iran as another rationale for the war.

Trump is asked what the worst-case scenario in Iran could be. “I guess the worst case would be we do this, and then somebody takes over whose as bad as the previous person, right,” he asks. “That could happen.”

When asked who he’d like to take over, he gave a blunt answer: “Most of the people we had in mind are dead.”

He said their back-up option after those people are now also dead. It’s a stunning admission from the president. The U.S.-Israeli military operation is killing the same people it wants to run the country it is attacking.

Trump’s assertion that “I might have forced Israel’s hand” in attacking Iran undermines the rationale for the war that Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented just yesterday. Rubio told reporters that the United States faced an imminent threat because Israel was about to attack Iran, and that Iran was poised to retaliate against U.S. forces.

This is the first time Trump has taken questions in public since he launched the war against Iran. Up until now, he’s only taken phone calls from individual reporters and posted on social media.

Trump is now dinging the United States’s European allies who aren’t going along with his war efforts. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain; we don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he says. “By the way, I’m not happy with the U.K. either.”

He adds, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

Trump just said, “Some of the European nations have been helpful, some haven’t” in the war. He singles out Germany as helpful and Spain as unhelpful. Trump is now complaining about Spain, saying American forces could not use its bases for the attacks on Iran.

“I guess he is, some people like him,” Trump said when asked if Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was an “option” to run the country. Trump says he “seems like a very nice person,” but also concedes it’s probably not realistic.

Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are sitting beside him, on a couch in the Oval.

Trump also offered the number of protesters killed by the government in Iran as another rationale for the war.

Trump is asked what the worst-case scenario in Iran could be. “I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over whose as bad as the previous person, right,” he asks. “That could happen.”

When asked who he’d like to take over, he gave a blunt answer: “Most of the people we had in mind are dead.”

He said their back-up option after those people are now also dead. It’s a stunning admission from the president. The U.S.-Israeli military operation is killing the same people it wants to run the country it is attacking.

Trump’s assertion that “I might have forced Israel’s hand” in attacking Iran undermines the rationale for the war that Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented just yesterday. Rubio told reporters that the United States faced an imminent threat because Israel was about to attack Iran, and that Iran was poised to retaliate against U.S. forces.

This is the first time Trump has taken questions in public since he launched the war against Iran. Up until now, he’s only taken phone calls from individual reporters and posted on social media.

Trump says “just about everything’s been knocked out,” referring to Iran’s navy, air force, and anti-aircraft systems. Merz briefly chuckles as Trump says that.

It’s clear that the United States has done significant damage to Iran’s military already, but it’s not clear that its military has been devastated in the way Trump described — especially since Trump has said the war could go on for several more weeks.

Trump is taking questions from reporters. He’s asked first if Israel and Netanyahu forced his hand to attack Iran.

“No, I might have forced their hand,” Trump says. “If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand,” he repeats a moment later.

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Click the link below for the complete article:

https://www.nytimes.com

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