President Donald Trump and his top officials met with oil and gas executives, including Chevron CEO Mike Wirth, at the White House on Tuesday.
The meeting, reported by Axios on Wednesday, addressed the energy fallout of the Iran war and other topics.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were among the officials present.
According to the Axios report, the meeting agenda covered crucial topics, including domestic production, progress in Venezuela, oil futures, natural gas, and shipping.
open image in galleryIn response to the article, a White House spokesperson said, “The president meets with energy executives frequently to get their feedback on domestic and international energy markets.”
On Tuesday, gas prices in the U.S. hit $ 4.18 per gallon, the highest price Americans have paid at the pump since 2022.
Since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28 caused the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the global market has lost access to 500 million barrels of crude and refined products output, according to analysts at Citi. That sparked surging prices on panic buying, but the higher prices have destroyed demand from consumers and refiners.
Hours after the meeting, Trump issued an astonishing new threat against Iran, posting a mocked-up picture of himself brandishing an assault rifle with the strapline: “No more Mr Nice Guy!”
“Iran can’t get their act together,” the president wrote on Truth Social early Wednesday morning. “They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!”
The threat was accompanied by a meme of Trump, standing against a Middle Eastern backdrop of explosions devastating a hillside, wearing a dark suit and sunglasses, and holding a heavy-duty firearm.
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