BREAKING: President Trump just ordered to immediately halt all trade with Spain.
Trump made the remarks during a NATO meeting while standing next to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump's core complaint is that Spain refuses to pay its NATO defense spending commitments. While Germany, France, the UK, and Italy have all been contributing, Spain has openly resisted meeting the 2% GDP defense spending target that NATO members are required to hit. Trump said he tested NATO members during the Iran conflict to see which ones would show up and support the US. Spain did not. "Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay." "Cut off all trade with Spain immediately. Don't even talk to them. Including visits." Spain is one of the US's significant trading partners in Europe. The US exports roughly $16 billion worth of goods to Spain annually. Trump is threatening to end that entirely over NATO non compliance. "They make so much money with us and we are going to see that they make a lot less." Source: Bull Theory @BullTheoryio
🚨 Donald Trump has escalated pressure on Europe, warning that the US could withdraw all American troops from the continent unless allies do more on defense.
He also renewed his demand for US control of Greenland, arguing the Arctic island is strategically vital against growing Chinese and Russian influence. The remarks revive one of the biggest sources of tension within NATO, as European leaders fear a weakening of the US security commitment. With around 80,000 US troops stationed across Europe, any significant withdrawal would mark a historic shift in transatlantic security and reshape the continent’s defense landscape. Source: FT
Traffic through Strait of Hormuz continues to ramp up
Source: Bloomberg
President Trump says Iran has agreed to keep the Strait of Hormuz fully open with NO tolls, fees, or shipping charges.
Trump also says the US will release controlled Iranian funds exclusively to buy American food products. “If this is false information, negotiations would end immediately.” Source: Bull Theory
The UK is not the only country in Europe recording a big turnover at the top...
Source: World in map on X
U.S. and Iran say they made "encouraging progress" in Switzerland and agreed on a roadmap to reach a final deal within 60 days, according to a joint statement released by Qatar and Pakistan.
Key statement points: - High-level U.S.-Iran talks concluded in Switzerland. - Working groups formed on nuclear issues, sanctions and dispute resolution. - Direct communication line established to avoid incidents in the Strait of Hormuz. - De-confliction cell created to support the Lebanon ceasefire. - Technical talks to continue this week in Burgenstock, Switzerland. Iran's FM Araghchi said mediated talks involving Pakistan and Qatar delivered “major progress” on the Lebanon conflict, including waived oil and petrochemical export restrictions, lifting of the blockade, partial release of frozen assets and a reconstruction plan launched for Iran. He cautioned that the first “real test” will be the operational rollout of the Lebanon deconfliction cell. Source: Bull Theory
It's official! Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as UK Prime Minister and leader of Labour Party .
Andy Burnham now positioned as a potential successor, setting Britain on track for its seventh prime minister in just a decade.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is now widely considered the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister following Sir Keir Starmer's resignation
➡️ Who is he? Andy Burnham, 56, is the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, the "King of the North," who built his profile on regional regeneration ("Manchesterism"). ➡️ How can he become the UK new PM? On June 19 he won the Makerfield by-election with nearly 55%, clearing his path to challenge PM Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. Under party rules he needs 81 MPs to trigger a contest; the UK system would let him become PM without a general election. ➡️ How his policy could diverge from Starmer? Burnham sits left of the Starmer–Reeves administration. He has vowed to put energy, housing, water and transport under "stronger public control" and backs nationalising Thames Water. The market-relevant point: he previously said the UK must stop being "in hock to the bond market" and floated ~£40bn of extra borrowing, with defence spending outside the fiscal rules. The core divergence is a looser fiscal stance versus Reeves's self-imposed rules. ➡️Could the UK face another fiscal crisis? This is a real tail risk, partly priced, but most analysts see a Truss-style blowup as unlikely rather than negligible. Bear case: the UK has the G7's highest borrowing costs, long gilts above 5%, and minimal headroom; the by-election win push 10-year yields up, and some warn markets underestimate the risk of Burnham testing the rules. The 2022 Truss episode is the reference point. A drawn-out contest adds a risk premium, and the chancellor pick (Number 11) matters more than Number 10. Mitigants: Burnham is walking back his rhetoric, now backing the fiscal rules; the Truss episode itself disciplines any successor; and oil, not politics, is currently the main gilt driver. Net: not a base-case crisis, but a credible left-tail — most likely triggered by a disorderly transition plus an unfunded Autumn Budget. Watch items: long-end gilts, the gilt-Bund spread, and sterling on escalation. Key markers ahead: whether 81 MPs line up, transition speed, and the prospective Treasury team.
