President Donald Trump on Monday left open the prospect of seizing Iranian oil, as US war officials said the aim is to strip Iran of a nuclear weapon and ensure it no longer poses a threat to the US or its Middle Eastern neighbours.
Trump told NBC News that he didn’t want to discuss whether he wanted the U.S. to seize Iranian oil, but “certainly people have talked about it.”
He mentioned Venezuela, where the US launched an attack in January that captured the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro. Since then, the Trump administration has taken steps to secure and tap Venezuela’s oil reserves. In his State of the Union address last month, Trump said the US had already secured more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela.
“You look at Venezuela,” Trump told NBC News. “People have thought about it, but it’s too early to talk about it.”
Taking control of some of Iran’s oil could worsen US relations with China. About 80% of Iran’s crude oil exports go to China, the world’s second-largest economy and America’s biggest geopolitical rival.
Oil prices crossed $100 a barrel over the weekend in response to the US-Israeli war with Iran. Iran is the world’s ninth largest oil producer, accounting for about 5% of total production.
Trump touched on other topics in the brief phone call, including Iran’s new supreme leader, a bill to tighten voting requirements and his appearance at a Delaware air base over the weekend in a so-called “honorary transfer.”
In the Republican primary fight for Cornyn’s seat, Sen. He deflected the question of whether he would endorse John Cornyn, R-Texas, or a challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“I’m focused on one thing and that’s voting,” Trump said on the Save America Act.
He stressed the importance of passing a measure requiring proof of citizenship nationwide to register to vote, among other provisions. The bill has cleared the House but faces difficult odds in the Senate, where it lacks the 60 votes needed to pass under the filibuster rule.
Asked if Congress would approve the bill, the president said: “I don’t know.”
“No one is doing much about it,” he said. “And until they do, I’m not doing anything.”
Does that mean he won’t sign other legislation until the bill passes?
Trump gave an open answer: “I’m not going to do anything until they do it.”
One question arising from Trump’s stance is whether he will sign a bill to re-open the Department of Homeland Security if the Save America Act stalls in the Senate.
A White House official on Monday declined to elaborate on the president’s position pending discussions with the president.
In the interview, Trump reiterated his displeasure with the selection of Iran’s new supreme leader following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an airstrike at the start of the war. Shiite clerics chose Khamenei’s 56-year-old son Motzaba Khamenei as his successor, who is considered a hard-liner.
“I think they made a big mistake,” Trump said of the decision to raise his son. “I don’t know if it will last, I think they made a mistake.”
Trump spent part of the weekend at an event in Dover, Delaware. Wearing a “USA” ball cap, he saluted as containers containing the remains of six US service members killed in the Iran war arrived from the Middle East.
A White House official said Trump met privately with family members in attendance.
“They are great people,” Trump told NBC News.
He attended his first honors transfer event in February 2017, less than two weeks into his first term.
“It’s always tough,” the president said.
