{"id":59362,"date":"2026-03-03T13:38:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-signals-escalation-in-iran-conflict-threatens-total-trade-severance-with-spain\/59362\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T13:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:38:20","slug":"trump-signals-escalation-in-iran-conflict-threatens-total-trade-severance-with-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-signals-escalation-in-iran-conflict-threatens-total-trade-severance-with-spain\/59362\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Signals Escalation in Iran Conflict, Threatens Total Trade Severance with Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>President <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> claims Iran\u2019s air defenses and detection facilities have been &quot;knocked out&quot;<\/strong> following a series of military strikes, asserting that &quot;something had to be done&quot; after 47 years of tension.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The U.S. is threatening to cut all trade with Spain<\/strong>, with <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> ordering Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to &quot;clear off all dealings&quot; due to dissatisfaction with Spain&#39;s response to the Iran conflict.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Oil markets face high volatility<\/strong> as the administration considers providing insurance support for tankers to ease Middle East shipments, while Trump predicts a sharp price drop once military actions conclude.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ASM International (<a href=\"\/stock\/ASMI\">ASMI<\/a>) reported a Q4 revenue beat of \u20ac698.0M<\/strong> and issued strong Q1 guidance of \u20ac830M, driven by a robust order backlog of \u20ac1.25B.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>)&#39;s Google launched Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite<\/strong>, a new high-speed, cost-efficient AI model aimed at enterprise developers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>President Donald Trump intensified his rhetoric against Tehran today, describing Iran as a <strong>&quot;bad seed&quot;<\/strong> and an <strong>&quot;evil&quot;<\/strong> entity that has attacked all its neighbors. Trump stated that the U.S. military has successfully neutralized Iran&#39;s <strong>air protection and detection facilities<\/strong>, noting that &quot;everything&#39;s been knocked out&quot; and that the U.S. possesses <strong>&quot;unlimited middle and upper ammunition&quot;<\/strong> to continue the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>The President also signaled a major shift in European diplomatic relations, specifically targeting Spain. Trump revealed he has instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to <strong>terminate all trade dealings with Spain<\/strong> following their response to the Iran situation, while also expressing dissatisfaction with the United Kingdom. <em>Market analysts are closely watching for potential retaliatory measures from the EU as trade tensions escalate.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>On the trade front, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to a <strong>15% tariff policy<\/strong>, which he claims has made the U.S. <strong>&quot;very rich.&quot;<\/strong> He noted that the administration is currently conducting studies on tariffs but intends to maintain the current 15% rate for at least a <strong>five-month period<\/strong>. Despite the aggressive stance toward Europe, Trump noted a <strong>&quot;very good relationship&quot; with China<\/strong>, stating the U.S. is no longer losing money to the nation.<\/p>\n<p>The energy sector remains on edge as the conflict continues to influence global supply chains. While Trump expects <strong>oil prices to drop<\/strong> significantly once the &quot;Iran action ends,&quot; the U.S. is reportedly considering <strong>oil tanker insurance support<\/strong> to ensure the continued flow of Middle East crude. <em>Federal Reserve Chair Neel Kashkari noted that it is currently &quot;too soon to know&quot; how the burgeoning conflict will impact long-term inflation targets.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In corporate news, ASM International (<a href=\"\/stock\/ASMI\">ASMI<\/a>) posted strong Q4 2025 results, with <strong>orders reaching \u20ac802.8M<\/strong>, surpassing analyst estimates of \u20ac772.6M. The company expects <strong>Q1 revenue to increase to \u20ac830M<\/strong>, signaling continued strength in the semiconductor equipment sector. Meanwhile, Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>)&#39;s Google announced the rollout of <strong>Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite<\/strong>, positioned as their most cost-efficient AI model to date for developers and enterprises.<\/p>\n<p>Geopolitical tensions elsewhere remain high as the <strong>IDF issued evacuation warnings<\/strong> for residents in Tyre, Lebanon, ahead of planned strikes. Concurrently, <strong>Hezbollah<\/strong> claimed responsibility for firing a missile salvo at an Israeli military base in the Golan Heights. <em>Russia\u2019s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has held talks with his Iranian counterpart, advocating for a de-escalation of the regional crisis.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways President Trump claims Iran\u2019s air defenses and detection facilities have been &quot;knocked out&quot; following a series of military 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