US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is “much more important” to him than worrying about rising oil prices due to the war in the Middle East, reports AFP.
“The United States is by far the largest producer of oil in the world, so when the price of oil goes up, we make a lot of money. BUT, to me as president, it is far more important and interesting to prevent an evil empire, Iran, from getting nuclear weapons and destroying the Middle East, and indeed the entire world. I will never allow that to happen! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote Trump, in a message published on his social network, Truth Social.
The war, sparked on February 28 by US-Israeli attacks on Iran, is disrupting oil supplies to the global economy and raising pump prices.
In the United States, prices rose 22 percent from the previous month to an average of $3.60 a gallon (3.78 liters) for base gasoline, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which keeps benchmark statistics.
Even before that, the cost of living was already a major concern for Americans heading to the polls for midterm elections this fall.
As part of a coordinated effort with other countries, the US administration announced on Wednesday that it will release 172 million barrels from its strategic reserves (representing 40% of the volume that had been stored), notes Agerpres.
The measure, intended to limit rising energy prices, failed to calm markets on Thursday.
Prices continued to rise as investors worried about the prolongation of the conflict.
