Trump says US no longer needs Iran deal

On Thursday, President Donald Trump declared that the United States no longer required a deal with Iran, asserting that "those days have long since passed." The statement was made on Truth Social, where Trump also revealed that Vice President JD Vance would shift his focus away from Iran, towards combating corruption and crime in Democratic-led states.

Trump claimed that the US had gained control over Iran's money, including hundreds of billions of dollars, and the Strait of Hormuz. This marked a significant departure from Trump's recent statements, which indicated that the war with Iran would conclude following the midterm elections, and that a deal with Iran could still be feasible.

The November 3 elections had dealt a significant blow to Trump's Republican Party, which had lost its majority in Congress to the Democrats. In response to Trump's remarks, oil prices experienced an increase, reversing an earlier decline triggered by Saudi Arabia's increase in output to near pre-war levels. Trump had previously suggested that fuel prices would decrease following the end of conflict with Iran.

On Tuesday, Trump had indicated that a resumption of military action against Iran was "quite unlikely" for the time being, while warning that Washington remained "locked and loaded" should the situation in the Middle East change. On Thursday, Trump announced that Vance, who had previously engaged in outreach to Iran, would now devote his "complete and total attention" to addressing widespread corruption in states such as Minnesota, California, and Illinois.