All posts tagged: downplays

Trump Downplays Oil Crisis Caused By Iran Conflict

Trump Downplays Oil Crisis Caused By Iran Conflict

A BBC expert has called out Donald Trump’s attempts to “play down” the global oil supply crisis triggered by his decision to go to war with Iran. Around a fifth of the world’s oil supply is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, but that has virtually stopped since the war began. That has led to a massive spike in oil prices, threatening a global economic crisis. In a post on Truth Social last night, the US president threatened Iran with “death, fire and fury” unless it is opened up again. He added: “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.” But on Radio 4′s Today programme this morning, BBC Africa editor Barbara Plett-Usher said that was an attempt by the president to create “a distraction” from the consequences of his own actions. She said: “He started by musing that the US …

Wright downplays concerns over closure of key shipping lane’s impact on oil prices

Wright downplays concerns over closure of key shipping lane’s impact on oil prices

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday downplayed concerns about the Strait of Hormuz’s closure amid the conflict in Iran.  “One large tanker has already gone through the straits with no issues at all. So as the general just described, we’re massively attiring their ability to strike with missiles and drones, and that rate of attrition… Source link

NATO downplays Greenland dispute as US defence chief absent from summit

NATO downplays Greenland dispute as US defence chief absent from summit

NATO allies say tensions over Greenland have eased after the launch of the Arctic Sentry mission aimed at boosting security in the Arctic and reassuring President Donald Trump, who had raised concerns over Russian and Chinese influence in the region. The dispute had briefly strained the alliance, members are now focused on strengthening Europe’s role within NATO, but US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was notably absent from the Brussels meeting, as FRANCE 24’s Dave Keating explains. Keywords for this article Source link

Rubio says Maduro abduction ‘strategic’ necessity, downplays future attacks | US-Venezuela Tensions News

Rubio says Maduro abduction ‘strategic’ necessity, downplays future attacks | US-Venezuela Tensions News

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the United States abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro before a Senate committee, arguing the operation did not constitute an act of war while framing the attack as a strategic necessity. The hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday offered the latest window into the administration’s thinking behind the extraordinary January 3 abduction of Maduro, who remains in a New York prison awaiting drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy charges. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Rubio began the hearing by underscoring the operation as a “strategic” necessity for the Trump administration, while downplaying what United Nations Experts have decried as a flagrant violation of international law. Rubio described Venezuela under Maduro as a “base of operation for virtually every competitor, adversary and enemy in the world”. He listed Venezuela’s alleged ties to Iran, Russia and Cuba. “[Having Maduro in power] was an enormous strategic risk for the United States, not halfway around the world, not in another continent, but in the hemisphere in which …

Mexico’s president downplays Trump’s threats

Mexico’s president downplays Trump’s threats

Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, at the National Palace in Mexico City, on January 5, 2026. ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did not alter her tone or her message when, on Friday, January 9, she responded to statements from her United States counterpart, Donald Trump, who had suggested conducting a ground operation against Mexican cartels on Fox News the day before. “We are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. (…) The cartels are running Mexico,” he said. “There will be nothing of the sort in Mexico; that’s President Trump’s way of speaking. We have a relationship based on cooperation and collaboration, not subordination. We have always said no to these of operations,” the president said at her daily press conference. Sheinbaum said she was keeping a “cool head,” refused to respond to provocations and referred to the security agreement Mexico signed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in September 2025: “It guides our actions on both sides of the border; each country has its own tasks to accomplish …

Kallas downplays Trump security strategy’s criticisms – POLITICO

Kallas downplays Trump security strategy’s criticisms – POLITICO

The 33-page document argued that European countries face “civilizational erasure” in part due to their acceptance of migrants. It accused some European governments of unfairly censoring certain political parties — far right ones, for the most part. It also suggested Europeans were an obstacle in efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The administration makes clear it still considers European countries important allies, but it also indicated it will try to boost far-right parties on the continent. The strategy document also had very little to say about Russia, which launched the Ukraine war and has made threatening moves against other European governments. As Kallas mentioned, the document spoke of a European “lack of self-confidence” in its dealings with Russia. “European allies enjoy a significant hard power advantage over Russia by almost every measure, save nuclear weapons. As a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, European relations with Russia are now deeply attenuated, and many Europeans regard Russia as an existential threat,” the strategy document states. The panel’s moderator, CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, asked if President …