Trump claims war costs against Iran were funded by Venezuelan oil revenues
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Washington has extracted a large amount of oil from Venezuela and that the proceeds have been used to finance the war against Iran. Trump said the Venezuelan oil proceeds have offset the costs of the war against Iran by about 25 times.
He made the remarks during a speech on his visit to the state of New York on Friday (22 May local time). In his remarks, Trump touched on the world’s views regarding his decision to strike Iran and Venezuela.
“How are we doing in Venezuela? Not bad. We have extracted so much oil in Venezuela that the war costs (against Iran) have been offset by around 25 times,” Trump said in a statement cited by DetikNews, Saturday (23 May 2026).
However, Trump did not provide further details about the claim. The statement came after the Pentagon, or the U.S. Department of Defense, disclosed that the costs of the war against Iran had risen to nearly US$29 billion, about Rp 513.2 trillion.
As is known, the conflict waged by the US and Israel against Iran began in late February. So far, there has been no official statement from the White House or the Pentagon responding to Trump’s latest claim.
Meanwhile, the war against Iran has drawn intense domestic scrutiny of Trump and his administration. In an early May budget hearing, US defence officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, were grilled by members of Congress over the costs of the Iran war.
The fighting between Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran has largely stalled since a ceasefire was implemented in early April. However, peace talks mediated by Pakistan failed to yield a lasting agreement to end the war permanently.
The Pakistan-mediated peace efforts have been protracted, with both sides insisting on their respective demands. Recent reports in the US media say the United States is considering a new military strike against Iran. Meanwhile, Axios reports that Trump’s stance over the week had shifted from initially supporting diplomacy to leaning towards ordering an attack.
This article has appeared on DetikNews. Read the full article here!
(iws/iws)