President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that the U.S. could stay in Iran and "keep the oil," comparing the idea to a U.S. effort to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves.
On a trip to Ireland for meetings and to watch golf, he reiterated that he still expected the Iran war to end this year, possibly just after midterm elections due in the United States in November.
Speaking at the Irish Open golf championship, Trump added that the price of gasoline would "drop like a rock" once the Iran war ended.
Turmoil in the Middle East has roiled oil markets, and oil prices rose about 3% Monday after new strikes on Saudi Arabian infrastructure and Gulf shipping.
Trump said that he would only make the "right deal" and wouldn't do one that was "no good," adding that Iran was "calling constantly" for peace talks, an assertion that Tehran has dismissed in the past.
But the president also introduced another option: stay engaged with Iran. He drew a parallel with the U.S. deal in Venezuela, announced in August.
"We'll ultimately get out (of Iran), unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela," Trump said, adding that the U.S. revenue from Venezuela has "paid for the war many times."
