Trump Says U.S. Could Stay in Iran and Keep the Oil

President Trump raised the possibility Saturday that the United States could maintain a military presence in Iran after any eventual hostilities end, saying Washington might keep Iranian oil revenues—drawing a direct comparison to an arrangement he described as profitable in Venezuela.

“We’ll ultimately get out [of Iran], unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela,” Trump told reporters, according to Reuters. He added that U.S. revenue from Venezuelan oil had “paid for the war many times,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

The remarks represent the most direct statement yet from Trump about the potential long-term U.S. strategic calculus in Iran, introducing an economic dimension into an already volatile regional picture.

What the Venezuela Comparison Signals

Trump has referenced the Venezuelan oil arrangement as a model for extracting value from countries where the United States has intervened. By invoking it in the Iran context, he is suggesting that a U.S. presence could be self-financing—that Iranian oil revenues could offset the costs of military operations there.

The Venezuela framing is also notable for how it repositions the nature of any extended presence. Rather than framing it as an occupation or a security operation, Trump is casting it as a commercial arrangement—a rhetorical move that sidesteps questions about sovereignty and long-term military commitments by recasting them in transactional terms.

The statement does not constitute a formal policy announcement. No administration official has outlined a framework for post-conflict Iranian governance or oil revenue arrangements, and the White House has not confirmed whether the remarks reflect a considered policy position or an improvised one.

Oil and the Strait of Hormuz

The oil dimension is inseparable from Iran’s position on global energy chokepoints. The region’s maritime arteries are already under severe pressure.

Two vessels were reported attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, with one person missing and a second ship struck amid reports of fire on board. Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have simultaneously struck at Saudi shipping infrastructure along the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and Saudi Arabia has shut a key oil pipeline in response—a sequence that has drawn global attention to Iran’s leverage over oil transit routes.

A long-term U.S. presence that included control of Iranian oil infrastructure would by definition entangle Washington more deeply in those chokepoint dynamics, expanding the scope of any commitment well beyond the current military operation.

Diplomatic Implications

Trump’s remarks arrive as U.S. allies and rivals alike are calibrating their responses to the military action in Iran. European governments have called for a diplomatic off-ramp. Nations that currently purchase Iranian crude would face direct economic consequences if Washington assumed control of Iranian oil fields and redirected those revenues to U.S. coffers.

Gulf states that have maintained back-channel relationships with both Washington and Tehran will now have to factor in the possibility that the United States intends a prolonged economic footprint in Iran, not merely a time-limited security operation. That calculus will shape how they position themselves in any eventual negotiation.

The comments also arrive in the context of Trump’s broader energy posture. Earlier on Saturday, Trump separately signaled that he does not want U.S. AI development constrained, citing competition with China—another instance of framing U.S. power projection in terms of resource and technological dominance.

What Comes Next

No formal policy framework has followed Saturday’s statement. State Department and National Security Council officials are expected to face questions in the coming days about whether Trump’s Venezuela comparison represents an actual contingency plan or a negotiating signal directed at Iran and at allies.

Energy markets will have their first opportunity to price in the remarks when trading opens Monday. The combination of Trump’s Iran oil statements, the Hormuz shipping incidents, and Saudi Arabia’s pipeline shutdown creates a cluster of price-relevant signals that traders will be sorting through simultaneously. Analysts will also watch for any reaction from China or Russia, both of which have economic and strategic interests in the outcome of any long-term U.S. presence in Iran.