Markets

Trump says Iran wanted sanctions lifted, but he said 'NO!'

Key Points
  • "Iran wanted me to lift the sanctions imposed on them in order to meet. I said, of course, NO!," President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Friday.
  • Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had said on his website, according to Reuters, that "America says that it will lift the sanctions."
  • Rouhani's declaration had sent oil prices dropping.
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Aug. 30, 2019.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Friday denied the claim by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that the United States had offered to remove sanctions in exchange for opening negotiations .

"Iran wanted me to lift the sanctions imposed on them in order to meet. I said, of course, NO!," Trump said in a tweet.

@realDonaldTrump tweet

Rouhani had said on his website, according to Reuters, that "America says that it will lift the sanctions."

Iran is likely to escalate tensions even further: The Pain Report
VIDEO3:0503:05
Iran is likely to escalate tensions even further: The Pain Report

"It was up for debate what sanctions will be lifted and they had said clearly that we will lift all sanctions," Rouhani added.

Rouhani's declaration sent oil prices dropping, with WTI crude futures falling nearly 3%. But, following Trump's denial, oil regained some of those losses, with WTI trading down 1.7% on Friday at about $55.50 per barrel.

The price swings in oil come as the the U.S. and some of its allies have blamed Iran for a series of drone attacks on Saudi Aramco oil facilities. The attacks sent oil prices soaring, as Saudi Arabia cut its production in half. Following Saudi Arabia's request, the Pentagon announced plans to deploy U.S. forces to the region.