US getting as much oil as it can out of Hormuz to restock global supply in case Trump decides to resume war, official says

The US is working to get as much oil out of the Strait of Hormuz as possible so that the global supply can be restocked in case President Donald Trump decides to resume the war against Iran, a senior American official says.

The official argues that the US is not risking very much by agreeing to an MOU this week with Iran because the bulk of the sanctions relief it may provide will only be given if Tehran makes concessions in the subsequent nuclear negotiations that will be held over the next two months.

“In the meantime… we’re working to get as much oil out of there as possible and to let everyone restock global supplies and help everyone get into position for if Iran misbehaves and there has to be another round of efforts,” the senior US official says during a briefing with reporters.

The official says negotiators from both sides will be meeting over the weekend in Switzerland, where the MOU is set to be formally signed on Friday. That sit-down “will be quite critical in order to see how we get to the next phase.”

The official notes that the meeting will be held at a Swiss hotel owned by the Qataris, who share a gas field with Iran.

“It will be a very good illustration to show that with the money that comes out of this gas field, [it] can either be used to buy great properties that give you cash flow and returns to reinvest in your population… or you could fund terrorism, which basically has led to destruction and devastation that makes them much worse off,” the senior US official says.

The US official insists that the US is in a better negotiating position following the war, whereas Iran has been dramatically weakened by it.

“If we think that they’re just dragging us along and bullshitting us, then we’ll be very quick to pull the plug on it and go back to tightening the screws on them very, very aggressively,” the US official says.

The US official says personal relationships and direct lines of contact have been established between top Trump officials and counterparts in Iran, including IRGC leaders and religious figures, “who have opened up channels of communication expressing the desire to do something different than what they’ve done before.”

While US officials had previously discussed direct talks held with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, this appears to be the first time that a Trump aide has said that they were in contact with IRGC officials or religious clerics in Iran.

Asked to clarify US President Donald Trump’s claim from earlier today that the MOU is not final, the senior US official briefing reporters insists that it is, while suggesting that Trump was maybe referring to the subsequent nuclear deal that still has to be negotiated.