President Donald Trump said the United States could "stay in Iran" and "keep the oil," as the war in the Middle East that's roiled global oil markets continues.
"We'll ultimately get out (of Iran), unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela," Trump told reporters at the Trump International golf course in Ireland on Sept. 13, saying U.S. revenue from Venezuela has "paid for the war many times."
Trump announced in August that the United States secured majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's proven oil reserves through a partnership with private business. Delcy Rodriguez, who became interim leader after the United States seized President Nicolas Maduro in January, welcomed the agreement, saying it would boost
the economy and government revenue.
Trump didn't immediately provide additional information on a potential oil agreement with Iran. USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for comment.
Still, many Americans are critical of the ongoing conflict in Iran, which has driven up gas prices. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released late last month found that only a quarter of Americans think the Iran war is worthwhile, down from previous surveys earlier this year.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also shaken global gas prices for months. The average national price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.31 on Sept. 13, according to AAA.
The president has defended the ongoing conflict, repeatedly arguing America had to target Iranian nuclear capabilities.
"We salute our first responders and law enforcement, and we love them, and we salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror – the Islamic Republic of Iran – will never ever have a nuclear weapon," Trump said at a 9/11 memorial last week.
The president also told reporters during his trip to Ireland that the war in "Iran will end right after − maybe before − but it'll end right after the midterms. Gasoline's going to drop like a rock." He added, "I will tell you this: Iran wants to make a deal so bad. They are calling constantly. They want to make a deal. They've got to make the right deal. I'm not going to make a deal that's no good," he said.
Iranian officials have previously denied similar descriptions of negotiations with the United States.
In his comments in Ireland, Trump also defended AI after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay calling for greater precautions regarding artificial intelligence.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says US could 'decide to stay' in Iran and 'keep the oil'
