Push down prices, Trump tells oil producers

President Donald Trump demanded that energy producers push down crude prices following US military strikes on Iran, amid fears that an escalating Middle East conflict and supply disruptions could extend the recent surge on oil markets.

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WASHINGTON:

"EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!" Trump posted Monday on social media.

In a subsequent post, Trump urged the Energy Department to "DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!" Energy Secretary Chris Wright responded in a post on X that "we're on it."

Iran has warned that Trump's decision to join Israel's military offensive with attacks on its three main nuclear sites would trigger retaliation. Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that carries about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade.