President Donald Trump on Monday left open the prospect of acquiring Iranian oil as the U.S. proceeds with a war officials have said is aimed at depriving Iran of a nuclear weapon and defanging it so that it no longer poses a threat to the U.S. or Middle East neighbors.
Trump told NBC News that he did not want to discuss whether he would like the U.S. to seize Iranian oil, but added: “Certainly people have talked about it.”
He mentioned Venezuela, where the U.S. launched a raid 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 speech last month, Trump said that the U.S. has already gotten 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 soon to talk about that.”
Taking control of some portion of Iranian oil could strain U.S. 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 shot past $100 a barrel over the weekend in response to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Iran is the world’s ninth leading producer of oil, with about 5% of total output.
Trump touched on other subjects in the brief phone call, including Iran’s new supreme leader, a bill that would tighten voting requirements and his appearance over the weekend at what’s called a “dignified transfer” at a Delaware air base.
He deflected a question about whether he will endorse sitting Sen. John Cornyn., R-Texas, or the challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a Republican primary fight for Cornyn’s seat.
“I’m focused on one thing and that’s the vote” on the SAVE America Act, Trump said.
He stressed the importance of passing the measure, which would require 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 will approve the bill, the president said: “I don’t know.”
“Nobody is doing much on it,” he added. “And until they do, I’m not doing anything.”
Does that mean he won’t sign other legislation until the bill is passed?
Trump gave an open-ended reply: “I’m not doing anything until they get it done.”
One question that arises from Trump’s stance is whether he would sign a bill re-opening the Department of Homeland Security if the Save America act remains stalled in the Senate.
A White House official on Monday declined to elaborate on the president’s position until the matter could be discussed with him.
In the interview, Trump reiterated his unhappiness over Iran’s selection of a new supreme leader following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an air strike at the start of the war. The Shia clerics chose as a successor Khamenei’s 56-year-old son Motjaba Khamenei, considered a hard-liner.
“I think they made a big mistake,” Trump said of the decision to elevate the son. “I don’t know if it’s going to last. I think they made a mistake.”
Trump spent part of the weekend at the ceremony in Dover, Delaware. Wearing a “USA” ball cap, he saluted as containers holding the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the Iran war arrived from the Middle East.
Trump met privately with the family members who were present, a White House official said.
“They are great people,” Trump told NBC News.
He attended his first dignified transfer event in February 2017, less than two weeks into his first term.
“It’s always tough,” the president said.
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