President Trump Prioritizes Ending Iran's Nuclear Ambitions, Admits U.S. Profits From Higher Oil Prices

President Donald Trump framed his administration’s primary objective in the Iran conflict as permanently dismantling Iran’s nuclear program and preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, explicitly stating that stopping what he called an "evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons" is of "far greater interest and importance" to him than economic effects of higher oil prices.

“ANI |Updated:Mar 12, 2026 21:24IST Washington DC [US], March 12 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday clarified his administration's primary objectives regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran, shifting the focusaway from the economic impacts of rising oil prices and toward long-term global security”

ANI News

The White House post noted the United States is currently the world’s largest oil producer and would financially benefit from higher crude prices, but Trump insisted the strategic goal remains focused on long-term global security rather than short-term energy profits.

ANI News

Trump openly acknowledged that the United States benefits financially from higher oil prices but portrayed that financial gain as secondary to the security objective.

ANI reported the White House post saying the U.S. is "the largest Oil Producer in the World" and that it "make[s] a lot of money" when oil prices rise, while Trump reiterated that stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions is of "far greater interest and importance" to his presidency.

ANI News

ANI placed Trump’s statements in the context of escalating regional violence: it said joint US-Israeli operations preceded the killing of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 and noted Iran’s retaliatory strikes that targeted Israeli and US assets across Gulf countries, which disrupted shipping routes and affected energy markets.

“ANI |Updated:Mar 12, 2026 21:24IST Washington DC [US], March 12 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday clarified his administration's primary objectives regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran, shifting the focusaway from the economic impacts of rising oil prices and toward long-term global security”

ANI News

The article also cited regional reports that Iran and Hezbollah launched coordinated attacks on Israel while Israel carried out "large-scale strikes on Beirut, Lebanon."

Trump claimed the recent US-led military campaign had inflicted decisive damage on Iran’s military capabilities, saying "our military has virtually destroyed Iran" and that core systems—including air force, radar, anti-aircraft equipment, missiles and drones—had been neutralised or degraded by steep percentages in a matter of hours.

ANI quoted him asserting that "Their air force is gone" and listing specific figures: missiles down by "90 per cent" and drones down by "85 per cent."

ANI News

Trump tied the current operations to earlier US actions he credited with degrading Iran’s capabilities, referencing the killings of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and an operation he named "Operation Midnight Hammer," which he said "totally obliterated Iran's nuclear potential" and left Iran without "nuclear potential."

“ANI |Updated:Mar 12, 2026 21:24IST Washington DC [US], March 12 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday clarified his administration's primary objectives regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran, shifting the focusaway from the economic impacts of rising oil prices and toward long-term global security”

ANI News

ANI also reported Iran’s stated conditions for ending the conflict—outlined by President Masoud Pezeshkian—as recognition of Tehran’s rights, reparations, and international guarantees against future aggression, highlighting that diplomatic exit conditions differ sharply from Washington’s stated military-first objective.

ANI News