Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) defended President Donald Trump’s decision to launch military action against Iran but accused his administration of dragging out the conflict through negotiations.
Nikki Haley Says Trump Admin Wasted Time Negotiating With Iran
On Wednesday, in a post on X, Haley said Trump was right to take military action against Iran but argued that Washington wasted valuable time assuming Tehran would agree to a deal.
“The stalling and lack of quick decision-making have cost Americans their wallets,” Haley wrote, adding that the U.S. “should have been out of there by now.”
During an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Haley reiterated her support for the military operation, citing Iran’s longstanding anti-American rhetoric and alleged threats against U.S. interests and people on American soil.
However, she criticized the administration for shifting toward negotiations instead of quickly completing its military objectives.
“You can’t make a deal with the Iranian regime,” Haley said, arguing that diplomatic delays gave Tehran an opportunity to “rearm, reload, get ready.”
Haley Says Iran Gained Leverage Over Strait of Hormuz
Haley also argued that Iran exploited the prolonged standoff by gaining leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil-shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Disruptions to shipping through the strategic waterway can threaten global oil supplies, push energy prices higher and increase costs for American consumers.
Haley said the time spent pursuing negotiations had left ordinary Americans bearing the economic consequences of the conflict.
“This could have been handled very quickly, but it requires courage,” she said, calling for decisive action rather than prolonged diplomatic efforts.
In commodities, WTI crude oil fell 0.91% to $85.74 per barrel, while Brent crude declined 1.07% to $91.77 per barrel as of 4:48 a.m. BST. Natural gas futures rose 2.15% to $3.284 per MMBtu.
American Automobile Association (AAA) data showed the national average for regular gasoline at $3.9429 per gallon, while mid-grade averaged $4.4772, premium $4.8710 and diesel $6.1306 per gallon. E85 averaged $3.0389 per gallon.
Trump Signals Hope for Peace Deal, Israel Prepares for Possible Strike
On Monday, Trump expressed growing confidence in ending the U.S.-Iran war after meeting with Qatar’s prime minister. Tehran, however, challenged Washington’s portrayal of the ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Israel has ordered its military to step up preparations for a potential strike on Iran, as the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to continue missile development despite threats and sanctions, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told the publication that Washington must “make and announce” a decision on Tehran’s latest proposal after rejecting a U.S. offer to transfer its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium to a third country.
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) climbed 1.32% on Wednesday, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) advanced 2.31% and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE:DIA) gained 0.52%.
Meanwhile, the United States Oil Fund LP (NYSE:USO) edged up 0.014%, while the ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil (NASDAQ:UCO) rose 1.47%.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Lev Radin on Shutterstock.com
