Middle East: Trump took secret flight out of Turkey — report

President Donald Trump reportedly used an elaborate ruse to leave the NATO summit in Turkey, amid a credible assassination threat. Meanwhile, oil prices rose as hopes for a deal on the Strait of Hormuz fade. DW has more.

President Donald Trump said that the US has cleared the Strait of Hormuz of mines, and that the critical trade route was open to commercial traffic.

Trump told reporters at the White House that the US had 100% control of the waterway.

"A little bit complex because they [Iran] will, on occasion, drop a mine, and we find the mines. You know, we've mine swept the entire Strait," he said.

Trump's comments came as Washington and Tehran have been negotiating the full reopening of the strait for some time. Iran has linked the route's reopening to concessions from the US and its allies while affirming plans to charge commercial vessels passing through the strait.

Trump responded to the concessions demand saying he too would demand compensation from Iran, for all the people injured or killed in the conflict.

Over the last weekend, US Vice President JD Vance said that Iran had laid a large number of mines in the Strait at he beginning of the war.

How Iran's Navy wields power in the Strait of Hormuz

READ: Is Iran's middle class being pushed into poverty?

A shopkeeper counts Iranian bank notesA shopkeeper counts Iranian bank notes

Economists say the war did not cause Iran's financial woes, but it sharply intensified themImage: Atta Kenare/AFP

The war has intensified Iran's economic crisis, squeezing household budgets, hurting businesses.

Read DW's report on growing fears that millions of middle-income families in Iran are slipping closer to poverty.

Oil prices steady after increase, as hopes for a deal fade

Global crude oil prices steadied on Tuesday, after a significant rise amid persisting uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude and US crude futures were both up slightly on Tuesday morning, reaching the highest levels since July 31, after the contracts spiked roughly 5% on Monday.

The price of Brent hovered just under $88 (€76) a barrel, having swing between $72 and $102 last month.

Oil prices have risen around 10% over the past week, fanning inflationary fears and revitalizing expectations of a possible US interest rate hike in 2026.

"We're now in a bit of a Mexican standoff, if you'd like, in terms of who blinks first," Tony Sycamore, ​a market Analyst at IG told Reuters.

"This is going to be almost a war of attrition now," he said. "You probably can see the (oil) market sitting around the $75 to $95 range while we wait ​to see who blinks first."

Middle East war expands beyond Iran

Trump took secret flight out of Turkey over Iran threat — report

US President Donald Trump reportedly departed from Turkey on a secret military flight in July, instead of the flying aboard an older Air Force One plane as announced by the White House.

This was in response to a credible Iranian assassination threat, the Washington Post reported, as the monthslong war continued.

Trump had taken the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet to Ankara for the NATO summit in July. However, he unexpectedly announced he would used an older Air Force One when departing the country, "for old times's sake." The move had then raised question over the donated jet's safety.

Trump boarded the older Air Force One in front of cameras but was secretly shuttled by an airport catering truck to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, the Washington Post said, citing corroborating material and a US official familiar with the operation.

Journalists aboard the decoy Air Force One, where they believed to be accompanied by the US President, said they had been advised to keep their window shades closed in the press cabin.

When they inquired about it later, Trump said it was because they were "probably on a dangerous flight."

"But if I go, you go. Right?" he added.

The White House did not directly address the report.

Communications director Steven Cheung told the Post there were "many enemies of America" targeting Trump and that every available tool was being used tocounter threats.

Donald Trump's new Air Force One raises security concerns

US President Donald Trump reportedly took a secret flight out of Turkey after the NATO summit in July, according to the Washington Post. The report describes how the US President was smuggled into a smaller plane, provoking mental visuals straight out of a Hollywood movie, to thwart a possible assassination attempt by Iran.

Trump meanwhile, has scoffed at Iran's demands of concessions and reparations, saying he too would seek conflict compensations as part of a peace deal. With this, negotiations over a truce and the possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz seem to have hit a wall once more.

SOURCE:DW