The US President Donald Trump has described record-high fuel costs as “peanuts.” The reasoning given is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Donald Trump comments on high oil price
Speaking to reporters gathered outside the White House, Trump framed the financial strain as temporary and necessary. “We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “You want to see the world exploded? This is peanuts, and I appreciate everybody putting up with it for a little while. It won’t be much longer.”
The steep climb in fuel costs is because Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz after the first attacks of the war were made by the US on February 28. That narrow stretch of water carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil, and its effective closure has rattled global energy markets ever since. For American drivers, the result has been a 50% jump in gas prices in under three months.
Donald Trump did not pretend the economic consequences came as a surprise. He shared that he had braced for a market downturn and considered it worth bearing. “I thought the market would go down 25%, and I was OK with that to get rid of a nuclear potential holocaust,” he said. “You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and it won’t have a nuclear weapon.”
On the whole, the comments followed yet another stall in peace talks between Washington and Tehran. Trump warned that military pressure could resume, revealing he had come within an hour of launching new strikes. “We may have to give them another big hit. I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon,” he said.
Behind the president’s talk, polling suggests the war is eroding public confidence in his leadership. A New York Times/Siena College survey released this week put Donald Trump’s approval rating at just 37%. The same poll found that 64% of respondents believe the decision to go to war with Iran was wrong. Only 30% called it the right call.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
