President Donald Trump (Getty)
President Donald Trump said Monday that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains his administration’s top objective, emphasizing a different priority than Vice President JD Vance identified last week as the conflict strained energy markets and a 60-day diplomatic window expired.
“The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The declaration followed Vance’s appearance Thursday on Fox News, where he placed affordable energy first among the administration’s goals while describing the desired outcome of the conflict.
“That’s goal No. 1: Keep oil and gasoline cheap for Americans all over our country. And then, obviously, goal No. 2 is ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.
“I feel confident we’re accomplishing both of those goals. But it’s inherently an unpredictable thing, because the Iranians themselves are unpredictable, and they sometimes don’t honor the commitments they’ve made to us.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought Friday to reconcile the two objectives during a gaggle aboard Air Force One.
“Look, I think both goals are equally as important to the president, right? Of course, we want to keep gas prices low,” she said. “That’s why the administration has done so much to keep the market stable.
“But also, ensuring Iran can never get a nuclear weapon is the president’s priority with respect to the ongoing conflict, and it’s something he’s going to see through one way or another.”
Trump’s statement came as the deadline in the June U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding expired Monday without a permanent settlement.
The interim framework was intended to curb hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, and begin negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Washington and Tehran have since accused each other of violating the pact, and substantive nuclear talks remain stalled.
Shipping through the strait, a critical route for global oil and gas supplies, remains sharply restricted.
Only five commodity vessels crossed Saturday and none crossed Sunday, compared with 31 the previous weekend, according to ship-tracking data.
The disruption has helped keep fuel prices elevated as the conflict enters its sixth month.
AAA reported Monday that the national average for regular gasoline was $4.06 a gallon, up from $3.14 a year earlier.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he planned to meet with U.S. refiners about increasing output, although he said American refineries were already operating at record levels.
Trump previously dismissed the suggestion that the financial burden on Americans was shaping his Iran policy.
Asked in May whether that pressure was influencing his effort to secure a deal, Trump said: “Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody,” he continued. “I think about one thing.
“We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, that’s all.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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