President Donald Trump told Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday that the United States should no longer seek a deal with Iran and instead focus on corruption and crime in Democratic cities and states.
“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days are long gone,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“We have their money, hundreds of billions of dollars, and we have their Strait!” President Trump wrote, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a key choke point in the ongoing war between the United States and Iran.
The announcement came just over a week after Republicans suffered a landslide defeat in the midterm elections. Mr. Vance and other Republicans blame these losses on the Iran war that the United States and Israel began in late February.
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, President Trump repeatedly threatened that the United States could resume military strikes, but military attacks have largely subsided as a tense standoff took hold in the region.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Vance, who has been leading diplomatic efforts with Iran for months, is considering a direct meeting with top Iranian security officials.
Stock futures fell in response to Trump’s post.
The unpopular Iran war has entered its ninth month with no clear end in sight, even though Trump and others in his administration said it would be won within weeks. The conflict areas have pushed up global energy prices, had ripple effects across the economy and exacerbated concerns about inflation and affordability, which were top of mind for voters in the midterm elections.
Corruption emerged as another top issue that broke Democratic support in the election. President Trump’s post Thursday morning sought to flip the script, accusing Democratic-controlled areas of allowing corruption and crime to flourish.
“I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his full and complete attention on the massive corruption and crime occurring in Democratic-run cities and states across the country,” Trump said.
“Blue states like Minnesota, California, and Illinois are all poorly managed and corrupt. Billions of dollars are stolen every month,” the president wrote. “Our budget will soon be balanced by correcting this massive criminal act.”
“Corruption is in the blood of Democratic leadership!” he added.
This is breaking news. Please refresh to check for updates.
