- US President Trump said he would accept oil prices at $200 a barrel for war with Iran
- Trump expressed relief that crude prices stayed near $100 instead of rising to $200-$250
- US-Iran conflict caused largest supply disruption in global oil market, per IEA
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would have accepted oil prices reaching $200 a barrel, double their current level, as a trade-off for the United States' ongoing war against Iran, brushing aside concerns about the conflict's economic toll on American consumers.
Speaking to reporters, Trump expressed satisfaction that crude prices had not climbed as high as he originally feared when hostilities began. "I thought oil prices would go to $200, $250, and it's at $100 now," he said, referencing the price of crude oil. "Even if it went to $200, it would have been worth it."
The remarks come as the US-Iran conflict continues to batter global energy markets. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which around 20% of the world's oil trade passes — alongside attacks on energy infrastructure across the region has led to what the International Energy Agency (IEA) has characterized as the "largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market."
The conflict has driven gas prices, reportedly, above $4 a gallon in the US, strained homebuyers, and pushed inflation to its highest level in nearly two years. Trump also acknowledged he was willing to absorb a 20–25% drop in the stock market as a consequence of the war — though he insisted markets had held up better than expected.
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The president framed the military campaign in stark, non-negotiable terms, centering it entirely on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon because, as tough as they are, we want to keep them alive. We want to keep all of you alive. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won't. And they have agreed to that among other things," Trump said.
ALSO READ: US-Israel-Iran War Live News Updates: Iran Wants To Make Deal, Trump Says; Signals Deal Soon
Iran recently sent an updated peace proposal to mediators in Pakistan, briefly pushing oil prices lower, though a resolution to the conflict remains elusive.
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