Update: Trump's Iran MoU 'Over' Remarks Not Necessarily End of Talks, Analysts Say

(Updates with comments from Mamdouh G. Salameh in paragraphs 7-16) US President Donald Trump's remarks on Wednesday that the interim memorandum of understanding with Iran was "over" do not necessarily signal the end of negotiations between the two countries, and little should be read into them until more clarity emerges, energy sector analysts told. Speaking ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey, the US president stated that the Pakistan-mediated ceasefire accord is over and called it "a waste of time." This follows an escalation of military actions in the Middle East. On Tuesday, the US Central Command launched a massive wave of retaliatory airstrikes across Iran after three commercial oil tankers were targeted and struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. Simultaneously, the economic components of the peace accord have been swiftly dismantled. Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps reportedly struck US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with drones and missiles in retaliation. International oil economist and global energy expert Mamdouh G. Salameh said Trump's remarks carry significant implications for oil markets despite the president's history of.