WASHINGTON — President Trump told The Post that he has “a plan” to tackle surging oil prices caused by the war with Iran after the cost per barrel briefly neared $120 — 65% higher than the pre-war price — before settling above $100 Monday morning.
“I have a plan for everything, okay?” Trump said in a brief phone interview on the 10th day of the joint US-Israeli war with Iran.
“I have a plan for everything. You’ll be very happy.”
Trump did not provide additional detail — though he has a variety of options, including the release of oil from strategic reserves.
The cost per barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, hit $119.50 per barrel shortly before the phone interview, before the spike subsided to above $100.
Brent oil futures were $72.48 on Feb. 27 — the day before the conflict began — indicating significant upward pressure on global transportation costs.
Iran is a major oil producer and the conflict has brought to a near-halt its shipments, as well as those from oil-rich Persian Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which must traverse the Strait of Hormuz abutting the war zone.
Trump brushed off a separate and unrelated transport concern involving wait times at US airport security checkpoints caused by a lapse in Department of Homeland Security funding that began on Feb. 14.
“It’s already been addressed. It’s been addressed,” Trump said, without providing additional detail on the airport delays. “We’re moving people out rapidly — rapidly.”
TSA spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a Sunday afternoon statement that major airports were logging massive delays — with wait times approaching three hours at some locations — because “Democrats are shamelessly playing politics with national security.”
As of Sunday, wait times hit 165 minutes at Houston Hobby Airport, 60 minutes at both Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, 51 minutes at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and 47 minutes at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Trump also told The Post that he’s “not happy” with Iran’s choice for a new supreme leader, after the US-Israeli military mission killed longtime leader Ali Khamenei, 86, last week.
