Trump signs executive order on Iran on Feb 4
One thing that’s been floating around in my head in a comment that President Trump said two weeks ago when he signed the fresh ‘maximum pressure’ executive order to halt Iran oil exports.
“This is one that I’m torn about,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Everybody wants me sign it. I’ll do that. It’s very tough on Iran,” he said.
That struck me as strange, you can watch it here.
This order is similar to the one he signed in his first term that curb Iran’s oil exports and he was much more enthusiastic the first time.
This time Trump called it ‘historic’.
“Hopefully we’re not going to have to do that much,” he said.
He talked about making a deal but it had a clear objective.
“They can not have a nuclear weapon, with me it’s very simple. They just can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I think they’re close, they’re too close.”
Iran is probably more determined than ever to get one.
Trump is someone who has consistently been against war but he’s also very close with Netanyahu and Iran was considerably weakened in Palestine and Libya. Trump and Netanyahu could see this as an opportune time to strike and that’s something that would seriously upend the Middle East and spike oil prices. It could also explain Trump’s eagerness to make a deal in Ukraine because it would ease Russian oil flows.
WTI crude oil is up $1.06 to $71.77.
Meanwhile, the world of natural gas is much simpler. Today it’s simply that forecasts show a cold winter staying cold in the US and that led to a rise back above the $4 level.
WTI crude oil daily