Iran War Live Updates: Macron Faults Trump For Shifting U.S. Goals
The French president said President Trump could not be taken seriously because he had repeatedly changed his goals for the Iran war. He also criticized the president for berating NATO.
President Macron of France on Thursday bluntly criticized President Trump for repeatedly shifting his goals in the Iran war and berating the NATO alliance, a sign of European frustration that came as a televised address by Mr. Trump on the war failed to calm jittery markets.
“When we’re serious, we don’t say the opposite of what we said the day before every day, and maybe one shouldn’t speak every day,” Mr. Macron told reporters during a trip to South Korea. He also said Mr. Trump’s mounting attacks on NATO were weakening the alliance, which Mr. Trump has criticized for not helping the monthlong U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
“If you create doubt every day about your commitment, you hollow it out,” Mr. Macron said, echoing concerns from other European officials.
U.S. allies, most not consulted on starting the war and who have refused to take part, are now scrambling to contain the conflict’s economic fallout.
On Thursday, Britain hosted a virtual meeting with dozens of nations — but not the United States — about Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy shipping lane. The U.N. Security Council is also expected to convene on Thursday to vote on a resolution, drafted by Bahrain, authorizing countries to use military force if necessary to open the waterway. The resolution has the support of Arab countries in the Persian Gulf.
Britain also said it would host military planners from about 30 nations next week to discuss making the Strait of Hormuz secure for shipping, although it was not clear that the talks would satisfy Mr. Trump’s call on other countries to “build up some delayed courage” and reopen the crucial sea route.
On Wednesday night, in his first prime-time televised address since the war started on Feb. 28, Mr. Trump threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” and repeated his threats to hit the country’s infrastructure, including electrical plants, unless a deal was struck.
But he failed to offer a clear exit strategy, and investors hoping for clearer signals of a de-escalation appeared disappointed.
Stocks pared earlier losses and oil prices moderated after unconfirmed reports that Iran and Oman were in talks to monitor marine traffic through the strait. The S&P 500 had fallen as much as 1.5 percent in earlier trading, before recovering to be roughly flat. Oil prices also eased from their highs but still remained markedly higher for the day, with Brent, the international oil benchmark, up 6 percent to around $107 per barrel.
In Iran, commanders and political officials were defiant after Mr. Trump’s remarks.
“We will not tolerate this vicious cycle of war, negotiations, cease-fire and then repeating the same pattern,” Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said in a statement on Iran’s state news broadcaster.
Stocks pared earlier losses and oil prices moderated after unconfirmed reports that Iran and Oman were in talks to monitor traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping lane. The S&P 500 had fallen as much as 1.5 percent in earlier trading, before recovering to trade roughly flat for the day. Oil prices also eased from their highs but still remained markedly higher for the day, with Brent, the international oil benchmark, up 6 percent to around $107 per barrel.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
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Iranian retaliation: The U.S. and Israeli militaries have destroyed many of Iran’s ballistic missiles and launchers in airstrikes. But a large number are undamaged, and Iran continues to launch missiles and drones. Israel’s military said on Thursday that its forces had intercepted missiles from Iran. The authorities in the United Arab Emirates said their forces had responded to drones and missiles from Iran.
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Crackdown in Iran: Iranian authorities have detained Nasrin Sotoudeh, a famed human rights lawyer, her daughter said Thursday. Ms. Sotoudeh has taken on the cases of women prosecuted for not wearing head scarves, and has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times as a result of her work.
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Death tolls: The Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 1,606 civilians, including 244 children, had been killed in Iran since the war began. Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 1,318 Lebanese had been killed as of Wednesday since the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began. In attacks blamed on Iran, at least 50 people have been killed in Gulf nations. In Israel, at least 17 had been killed as of Friday. The American death toll stands at 13 service members, with hundreds of others wounded.