
Trump calls for producers to pump more oil amid Iran shipping lane fears
Mr Trump urged stepped-up production as the White House sharpened its warnings to Iran against closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping lane, in retaliation for the US strikes on Iran's nuclear programme.
Advertisement
'To the Department of Energy: DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!' Mr Trump posted on social media.
He added: 'EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!'
The push by Mr Trump comes at an uncertain moment as US embassies and military installations in the Middle East are on high alert for potential retaliation.
The USS Dwight D Eisenhower and other warships cross the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf (Information Technician Second Class Ruskin Naval/U.S. Navy via AP)
Global markets are trying to ascertain what lays ahead after the US struck key Iranian nuclear facilities with a barrage of 30,000-pound bunker busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles.
Advertisement
Iran's parliament has approved cutting off the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane in the Persian Gulf that about 20% of global oil and gas passes through.
It is now up to Iran's national security council to decide whether to move forward with the idea, which could lead to a spike in the cost of goods and services worldwide.
The price of oil jumped 4% shortly after trading began on Sunday night, but it quickly pared back as the focus shifted from what the US military did to how Iran would react.
Oil futures were flip-flopping in Monday morning trading between gains and losses. They still remain higher than they were before the fighting began a little more than a week ago.
Advertisement
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned Tehran anew against closing the strait, saying 'the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision'.
The State Department has doubled the number of emergency evacuation flights it is providing for American citizens wishing to leave Israel, and ordered the departure of nonessential staff from the US Embassy in Lebanon.
It also is stepping up travel warnings around the Middle East because of concerns Iran will retaliate against US interests in the region.
In an alert sent to all Americans worldwide and posted to its website on Sunday, the State Department warned all US citizens abroad to exercise caution.
Advertisement
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (Evan Vucci/AP)
The US Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website on Monday urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to 'shelter in place until further notice'.
Hours later, the Qatari government issued an extraordinary order to shut its busy airspace.
Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, is home to Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command.
Many energy industry analysts are sceptical that Iran would go forward with a full closure of the strait, something that it has threatened to do in the past.
Advertisement
Iran would face the possibility of retaliation against its own shipments and the possibility that the move would upset China, the biggest purchaser of Iranian crude.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Tesla shares fell as Musk issues warning
Tesla shares fell after CEO Elon Musk warned of The electric vehicle maker reported a 12 per cent drop in revenue and a 16 per cent fall in profit, facing increased competition and the impact of Musk's political affiliations. Tesla's financial challenges include the loss of a $7,500 EV tax credit, reduced income from regulatory credits, and hundreds of millions in costs due to tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. Musk indicated a strategic shift towards self-driving taxis, automated driving software, and robotics, rather than focusing primarily on car sales. The company began rolling out its paid robo-taxi service in Austin, Texas, in June, with plans to expand to other cities soon


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Massive spike in threats against Obama after Trump team claims he committed ‘treason'
Threats made online against former president Barack Obama spiked over the weekend after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused him of a years-long coup attempt against President Donald Trump. Gabbard has claimed Obama and his top officials ran a 'treasonous conspiracy' by insinuating they manufactured an investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election to undermine Trump's first election. Hours after she made the claim, on July 18, violent rhetoric about Obama surged on platforms such as Truth Social, Telegram, and Gab, with some calling for his arrest, imprisonment, and execution. That rhetoric was intensified after the president posted an artificial intelligence-generated video of Obama being arrested and continued to re-post Gabbard's claims throughout the weekend. By July 19, threatening comments targeting Obama rose from three to 56 – a more than 1,700 percent increase, according to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Truth Social users posted rhetoric calling for a 'firing squad,' a 'public hanging,' and 'streaming' his execution live – all while decrying Obama for the alleged treason. One user called for Obama's execution by using memes of a guillotine, electric shock chair, and public hanging platform. For years, Trump has blamed Obama and other Democrats for abusing power to facilitate investigations or indictments into himself. Since taking back the White House, Trump has promised to conduct a campaign of retribution against those he believes have targeted him. The documents Gabbard referred to as evidence of Obama's meddling show that the Obama administration wanted a review of the allegations against Russia before leaving office and pressured intelligence agencies to work quickly. spokesperson for Obama denied Gabbard's allegations, calling them 'bizarre,' 'ridiculous,' and 'a weak attempt at distraction. The Independent has asked the White House for comment. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism said similar violent rhetoric increased on Gab, a platform known for platforming right-wing extremists. Between July 17 and July 20, comments targeted Obama as treasonous and deserving punishment rose from nine to 48, a more than 400 percent increase. A review of targeted comments made on Telegram in the same timeline revealed that threats against Obama rose from zero to 12. A White House spokesperson told Newsweek that, "President Trump and the entire administration strongly condemn all forms of violence. The Trump administration also believes in accountability and that individuals who participate in criminal activity should be held to the fullest extent of the law.


Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump fires back at reports he's trying to destroy Musk's companies
President Donald Trump shot back at reports that he will try to destroy the companies of former best friend Elon Musk, clarifying his intent when it comes to the world's richest man. Trump had previously threatened to take away the billions in government contracts that Musk's various companies hold. The duo had a very public fallout over Trump's one big beautiful bill, which resulted in each man making threats against the other But the president now says he wants Musk to 'thrive.' 'Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon's companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government. This is not so!,' the president wrote on Truth Social. 'I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before! The better they do, the better the USA does, and that's good for all of us,' Trump wrote. The clarification came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked in her briefing on Wednesday if Trump supports federal agencies contracting with Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI. 'I don't think so, no,' she replied and then added she would speak to the president about the matter. xAI won a contract for up to $200 million with the Department of Defense, alongside Anthropic, Google and OpenAI, last week. Additionally, this week, xAI unveiled a suite of products for U.S. government customers, which it refers to as Grok for Government. Trump and Musk have had a hot and cold relationship since the Tesla founder left government service in May. After his departure, Musk publicly turned on Trump's signature bill, complaining it would increase the country's debt and undo much of the savings his Department of Government Efficiency had sought. Trump was furious at Musk's public criticism and, at one point, responded: 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.' 'We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,' Trump added. Musk, for his part, threatened to start a third political party to go after Republican candidates and posted on his X account that the reason the Jeffrey Epstein files hadn't been released because Trump is in them. He later took that post down.