Donald Trump has suggested the United States could remain in Iran and “keep the oil”, raising a new question about Washington’s objectives in a war originally centred on security and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Trump made the remarks during a visit to Ireland on Sunday.
He said the United States would ultimately leave Iran unless it decided to remain and keep Iranian oil, drawing a comparison with America’s arrangement in Venezuela.
Trump also repeated his expectation that the Iran war will end this year, potentially shortly after November’s U.S. midterm elections.
He predicted gasoline prices would fall sharply once the conflict ended.
The remarks do not establish control of Iranian oil as an adopted U.S. war aim.
They do put the possibility publicly on the table.
That matters because the definition of victory determines when a war ends.
Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is one objective.
Remaining in the country to control its oil is another.
If keeping Iranian oil is genuinely an option, what exactly is America’s end-state in Iran?
Sources
Reuters: Trump says U.S. could stay in Iran and ‘keep the oil’
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