TRUMP FLOATS IRAN OIL PLAN
PHOTO CAPTION: President Donald Trump speaks during an address to the nation on the ongoing conflict with Iran.
President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that the United States could potentially remain involved in Iran and “keep the oil,” introducing a striking new possibility as he discussed how the months-long war might eventually end.
Trump made the remarks while attending the Irish Open at his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland. He again predicted that the conflict could end this year, possibly after the U.S. midterm elections in November.
But while discussing what could happen afterward, Trump raised another possibility.
“We’ll ultimately get out,” Trump said, before adding that the United States could decide to “stay and keep the oil like Venezuela.”
Trump compared the idea with the administration's oil arrangement involving Venezuela and claimed revenue from that effort had more than covered the cost of the U.S. military operation there. Reuters reported that the Venezuela arrangement announced in August involved a U.S. push to control a portion of the country's vast oil reserves.
Trump did not announce a formal plan to seize Iranian oil or permanently station U.S. forces in Iran. His remarks instead presented the idea as one possible outcome while discussing the eventual end of the war.
He also said he would only agree to what he considered the “right deal” with Tehran and claimed Iran was repeatedly seeking peace talks. Iranian officials have previously disputed similar assertions that negotiations were underway.
The comments come as the conflict continues to disrupt global energy supplies.
Trump said gasoline prices would “drop like a rock” once the war ended. Oil markets have remained volatile as fighting has spread across the region, including attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and threats to major shipping routes.
For the U.S. military community, the discussion is unfolding against a much heavier backdrop than oil prices alone.
Since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began in late February, 18 American service members have been killed and more than 750 wounded, according to figures reported by Reuters.
Trump's Sunday comments now add a new question to the debate over how the United States ultimately exits the conflict: whether ending the war necessarily means leaving Iran entirely—or whether Washington could seek to retain an economic or military presence afterward.
(Source: OAF Nation)
