Trump Eyes Iran Oil Amid Middle East War: Trump’s big statement in the oil war, keeping an eye on Iran’s oil

The war that has been going on in the Middle East for more than a month has shaken the entire world. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has given a statement that ‘I want to take control of Iran’s oil’. Not just a political comment, but is being considered a sign of a bigger geopolitical conflict to come.

Before the attack on February 28, the price of crude oil was around $72 per barrel, but after the war it increased to $116. That means a jump of more than 50% in just one month and this is the real ‘oil game’, which affects the economy of the entire world.

Donald Trump clearly said in an interview to the Financial Times that his ‘favorite thing’ is to take Iran’s oil and for this America has many options. He also mentioned Kharg Island located in the Persian Gulf, which is the center of about 90% of Iran’s oil exports. In such a situation, controlling this area means directly controlling Iran’s economy.

Why does America keep crying for oil?

Now the question arises that when America produces the most oil in the world, then why does it keep crying for oil from other countries? According to statistics, America produces about 13.4 million barrels of oil every day, but despite this it also imports about 20 lakh barrels of oil. The biggest reason for this is the “quality” of the oil.

Actually, crude oil is not the same. It is divided into different categories based on its density, sulfur and flow. Light crude oil is easily refined and used to make products such as petrol and jet fuel, while heavy crude oil is thick and difficult to process, but it is cheaper and more useful in ship fuel or road construction.

America’s real problem starts from here. About 80% of the production there is of light crude oil, while most of its refineries are built to process heavy oil. This is because in the 20th century, America used to import heavy oil on a large scale and its refinery system was prepared accordingly.

Today the situation is that America produces light oil, but its processing capacity is more suitable for heavy oil. That is why it sells its light oil at a higher price and buys cheaper heavy oil from outside.

In which countries is oil found?

The war in the Middle East has made this entire strategy more important. This area is considered the world’s largest oil hub. Here means control. Control over global supply, influence on prices and dominance in international politics. Countries like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are not just oil producers but also ‘energy power centres’.

Trump had targeted Venezuela in the matter of oil.

Venezuela is a hidden but very important player in this whole game. It has the world’s largest oil reserves, but its production is limited due to US sanctions, weak infrastructure and political instability. Despite this, China remains its big buyer, which America wants to reduce at any cost.

Donald Trump even alleged that Venezuela “stole America’s oil”, while the government of Nicolás Maduro has been rejecting these allegations. Apart from this, there are many other reasons behind America’s oil policy. The country’s consumption is very high. 18 to 20 million barrels per day. Oil is a global commodity, hence the increase in price in the international market directly impacts America as well. In some areas, it is cheaper to import due to logistics, and most importantly. America does not want to take any risk regarding its energy security.

If we add all these facts together, it becomes clear that oil is no longer just a fuel. War in the Middle East, talk of taking over Iran’s oil and interference in Venezuela. All these indicate that in the coming times, oil can become the biggest “power weapon”, on the basis of which both the politics and economy of the world will be decided.