President Donald Trump has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries as diesel prices in the U.S. hit record highs.
‘Zelensky has to do one Thing’
During his visit to Ireland on Sunday, Trump spoke to the press and urged Ukraine to go after legitimate targets. “Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing,” he said. “He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” he added. Trump then said that Ukraine could go after “targets,” but not diesel, as the strikes were “causing a shortage of diesel fuel” globally.
“This isn’t done by the Middle East. This is done by what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. spoke to Zelenskyy about the strikes. “Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting the world,” Trump said. “We don’t want him to hit diesel fuel,” he reiterated, saying that there were “plenty of other targets” for Ukraine.
Notably, Russia had earlier banned the export of diesel through the end of September. The country is one of the largest exporters of diesel globally.
MB Ghalibaf Mocks Diesel Shocks
Amid record diesel prices, Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked the price shocks at the pump. Taking to the social media platform X on Sunday, Ghalibaf quoted a post by Bloomberg, which talked about diesel hitting $9.999/gallon in some parts of California.
Ghalibaf shared a clip from the popular TV show “The Simpsons,” which showed the main character, Homer Simpson, filling up his vehicle as the pump shows prices hitting $9,999 before the dials go to $0,000.
“Free gas!” the character can be seen saying. Some older pump displays have historically been unable to display prices above $9.999 per gallon.
According to data shared by the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average price of diesel in the U.S. on Sunday was $6.2040/gallon. The average price of diesel in California was $8.1367/gallon on Sunday.
Oman Postpones Iran Meet
Oman postponed a planned meeting with Iran “in the interests of consensus,” adding that it remains in support of maintaining regional stability. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia shut down its crucial East-West oil pipeline after multiple attacks on the infrastructure. Saudi authorities said the attacks involved drones launched from Iraq. Separately, Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen seized the strategic Mayun Island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, opening another potential front in the region’s energy and shipping crisis.
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