President Trump said Tuesday that the high gas prices Americans are currently facing are “peanuts” compared to the goal of stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
With average US gas prices hitting $4.533 per gallon on Tuesday, Trump called on Americans to endure the pain at the pump “for a little while” while his administration works to end Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,” he told reporters outside the White House.
“You want to see the world exploded?
“This is peanuts, and I appreciate everybody putting up with it for a little while. It won’t be much longer,” he added.
Gas prices have remained stubbornly high and continue to increase after Tehran effectively shut down traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint that carries 20% of the world’s oil supply.
Gas prices are currently up by 50% since the US and Israel fired the first shots of the war on Feb. 28.
Trump acknowledged that he knew the war in Iran would have harsh economic consequences, but the president maintains that it beats the alternative.
“I thought the market would go down 25%, and I was OK with that to get rid of a nuclear potential holocaust,” Trump said.
“You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and it won’t have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
The president’s comments come after the latest stall in peace talks between Iran and the US, with Trump repeatedly warning Tehran to get serious about negotiating or else the war would restart.
“We may have to give them another big hit. I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon,” Trump told reporters after revealing that he was only “an hour away” from launching fresh attacks on Tuesday.
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