Trump Defends Rising Oil after Iran Strikes
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Trump Defends Rising Oil after Iran Strikes
By Shane Gilreath
SCN Contributing Editor
[email protected]
President Donald Trump defended his administration’s actions in Iran over the weekend, despite growing casualties on all sides. The escalating situation saw Trump brushing aside criticisms and concerns about rising oil prices following the start of what officials have called “Operation Epic Fury,” the joint US-Israel strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. In a post on Truth Social, the president argued that any increases in global energy prices would be temporary and outweighed by the long-term security benefits of dismantling Iran’s nuclear threat.
“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump wrote.
Supporters of the strikes say the US-Israel action was justified, not only as a security measure but as a broad humanitarian intervention against the Islamic Republic. Reports from inside Iran continue to describe demonstrations and celebrations in urban areas following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the strikes last week. Over the weekend, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly named the country’s new supreme leader, a move many critics have called a reinforcement of the dynastic nature of Iran’s ruling theocracy.
As a contrast, the social unrest continues to see chants and broad calls for restoring the monarchy that ruled Iran before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. In anticipation of such action, the exiled Conservative Party of Iran has unveiled an 83-article constitutional framework outlining how the country could be governed after the fall of the Islamic Republic. Under that proposal, leadership would center on Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, eldest son of the last Shah, with succession continuing through his daughter, Princess Noor Pahlavi, a stark contrast to the role women have played in recent Iranian history.
Women’s rights have remained a significant part of the debate over Iran’s future. Since the 1979 revolution, women have faced strict legal limits including mandatory hijab laws and reduced rights in court and inheritance. Yet women have also led many of the country’s protests, including the recent “Woman, Life, Freedom” demonstrations.
While Trump has not commented directly on Pahlavi’s potential role, he noted international backing for the operation, saying the United Kingdom had offered assistance, but criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “no Winston Churchill.”
According to Iranian outlets, at least 940 have been killed by Israeli and American strikes, and 11 have died in Israel as Iran fired back. The US death toll also rose to 7.
