Nikki Haley has a message for the Trump administration on Iran: right war, wrong pace. The former South Carolina governor defended President Donald Trump's decision to launch military action against Iran, but she accused his administration of dragging out the conflict through negotiations that were never going to pay off.

Haley Says the White House Wasted Time at the Table

In a post on X on Wednesday, Haley said Trump was right to take military action against Iran but argued that Washington burned valuable time assuming Tehran would agree to a deal.

“The stalling and lack of quick decision-making have cost Americans their wallets,” Haley wrote, adding that the U.S. “should have been out of there by now.”

She doubled down during an appearance on CNBC's “Squawk Box,” reiterating her support for the military operation and citing Iran's longstanding anti-American rhetoric and alleged threats against U.S. interests and people on American soil. But she criticized the administration for shifting toward negotiations instead of quickly completing its military objectives.

“You can't make a deal with the Iranian regime,” Haley said, arguing that diplomatic delays gave Tehran an opportunity to “rearm, reload, get ready.”

The Strait of Hormuz Is Where the Bill Comes Due

Haley also argued that Iran exploited the prolonged standoff by gaining leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, the critical global oil-shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Disruptions to shipping through that waterway can threaten global oil supplies, push energy prices higher and increase costs for American consumers.

That is the economic chain Haley is pointing at: time spent pursuing negotiations, in her telling, left ordinary Americans holding the bill for the conflict.

“This could have been handled very quickly, but it requires courage,” she said, calling for decisive action rather than prolonged diplomatic efforts.

In commodities, WTI crude oil fell 0.91% to $85.74 per barrel, while Brent crude declined 1.07% to $91.77 per barrel as of 4:48 a.m. BST. Natural gas futures rose 2.15% to $3.284 per MMBtu.

At the pump, American Automobile Association (AAA) data showed the national average for regular gasoline at $3.9429 per gallon, while mid-grade averaged $4.4772, premium $4.8710 and diesel $6.1306 per gallon. E85 averaged $3.0389 per gallon.

Trump Sees a Peace Deal, Israel Prepares for a Strike

On Monday, Trump expressed growing confidence in ending the U.S.-Iran war after meeting with Qatar's prime minister. Tehran, however, challenged Washington's portrayal of the ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Israel has ordered its military to step up preparations for a potential strike on Iran, as the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to continue missile development despite threats and sanctions, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told the publication that Washington must "make and announce" a decision on Tehran's latest proposal after rejecting a U.S. offer to transfer its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium to a third country.

Markets, for their part, were in a buying mood on Wednesday. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) climbed 1.32%, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) advanced 2.31% and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) gained 0.52%.

In energy funds, the United States Oil Fund LP (USO) edged up 0.014%, while the ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil (UCO) rose 1.47%.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.