Trump to meet US oil executives as Iran war keeps fuel prices high

US President Donald Trump will meet oil refining executives on Tuesday as he tries to tame fuel prices sent spiralling by the Iran war ahead of midterm elections in November, the White House said.

The talks at the White House also come days after Trump announced a deal for a huge US stake in the oil reserves of Venezuela, whose leader Nicolas Maduro was toppled by US forces in January.

Republicans fear voters will punish them in November’s crucial US midterm elections after high fuel prices dramatically raised the cost of living for ordinary Americans.

“The president will meet with industry leaders to collaborate on the best ways to increase refining capacity, further unleash American energy dominance across the entire supply chain, and bring down prices for the American people,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to Agence France-Presse on Monday.

The talks were “especially timely as we increase Venezuelan crude flow to US refineries”, a White House official said separately.

The White House did not release a list of companies attending Tuesday’s meeting but said it would include a “mix of small, medium, and large refiners and distributors”.