Trump suggests US could stay in Iran to keep oil after war

President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that the United States could maintain a military presence in Iran after the ongoing conflict ends in order to retain control of the country's oil resources, drawing a direct comparison to a recent U.S. arrangement in Venezuela. Speaking at the Irish Open golf championship in Doonbeg, Ireland, Trump said, "We'll ultimately get out of Iran, unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela." The president claimed that U.S. revenue from the Venezuela deal has "paid for the war many times." That agreement, announced in August 2026, gave the U.S. control over roughly 20 percent of Venezuela's proven oil reserves. Trump's comments marked the first time he has publicly floated the possibility of a long-term U.S. resource-based presence in Iran following the conflict, which began with U.S. strikes against Iran's nuclear program over six months ago. Trump also predicted that gasoline prices would "drop like a rock" once the Iran war concluded, which he said he expects to happen this year, possibly just after the U.S. midterm elections in November.