Trump blames Iran for oil tanker attacks in Middle East

Trump talks tensions with Iran, conversations with foreign leaders, attacks from Pelosi

President Trump discusses Iran being implicated in assaulting oil takers in the Gulf of Oman, Nancy Pelosi accusing him of a criminal cover-up, calls to fire Kellyanne Conway, Joe Biden’s campaign and more in a wide-ranging phone call with ‘Fox & Friends.’

President Donald Trump made it clear that he believes Iran is responsible for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Middle East Thursday.

Speaking by phone to Fox & Friends, the president asserted that his position is based on intelligence from a video of the incident.

“Well Iran did do it, and you know they did it because you saw the boat. I guess one of the mines didn’t explode and it’s probably got essentially Iran written all over it.”

The US obtained video of Iran removing an unexploded mine from the oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as military officials continue to monitor the fluid situation.

U.S. and Brent crude prices were volatile on Friday and moving higher amid these tensions. Despite the bump, the broader yearly outlook for oil remains sluggish in part due to fears trade disputes would also dent global demand.

The president also noted part of the fractured relationship with the country is due to the Iran Deal brokered by then-President Barack Obama.

“We're being very tough on sanctions. When I came into office they were in absolute terror. They were all over the place. They were in Yemen, they were in Syria – we have 14 different sites of conflict – they were in charge of every single place.”

He warned that the Iran Nuclear Deal could have meant “in 6-7 years they'd be able to legally start making nuclear weapons, we're not going to have it” he warned.

“I'm not looking to hurt that country, but they can't have a nuclear weapon it's very simple” he said.

The reality is the tough U.S. position against Iran is hurting the country's economy. As of early 2019, Iran's economy is spiraling backward, contracting at a rate of 6 percent on top of a nearly 4 percent pullback in 2018, as tracked by the International Monetary Fund. By comparison, the U.S. economy grew at a rate of 3.1 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to the Commerce Department.

Kevin Hassett, the outgoing head of the Council of Economic Advisors, says the U.S. can maintain that growth rate this year.