President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is more worried about Iran successfully constructing a nuclear weapon than the rising costs being felt by millions of Americans due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Trump, while preparing to leave Washington D.C. for Beijing and his highly anticipated one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, was asked by a reporter on the White House South Lawn to what extent “Americans’ financial situations” were motivating him to make a deal with Iran.
“Not even a little bit,” Trump told the journalist. “The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran—they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing—we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
Another reporter followed up to clarify the president’s remarks, leading to a similar response invoking the stock market.
“The most important thing by far—including whether our stock market, which, by the way, is at an all-time high—but including whether our stock market goes up or down a little bit, the most important thing by far is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, adding, “Every American understands.”
Gas Prices Keep Rising
The war in Iran started Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel jointly attacked the Middle Eastern nation, immediately leading to a semblance of regime change when Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei, was killed. However, the new regime has remained steadfast in its efforts to resist attempts to forge negotiations to conclude the war.
Iran’s most powerful weapon has not been military-based; rather, it has revolved around the Strait of Hormuz, which provides roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply. Weeks-long blockades in the strait have resulted in shipping delays around the world, including to the U.S. where Americans have more recently felt the brunt at the pump.
The national gas average on Tuesday, according to AAA, was $4.50. The states where costs exceed the average are Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon and Washington. Some of those states also have gas taxes in place that have exacerbated drivers’ frustrations.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, wrote on X on Tuesday that Colorado’s gas prices were exceeding $4.50 directly in relation to the situation in the Middle East.
If the Strait doesn’t re-open soon, I believe we could see the national average price of gasoline reaching $5/gal as early as sometime in June,” De Haan said.
On Sunday, talking to CBS’ 60 Minutes in his first interview since the war began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there’s more “work to be done” in Iran that includes collecting the enriched uranium. Asked how that could be accomplished, he said military forces could go inside the country and take it.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have fallen short as part of “Project Freedom,” which initially involved deploying some 15,000 military personnel and equipping services with missiles.
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