President Donald Trump and senior White House officials met Tuesday with leading oil and gas executives as the administration weighs how to sustain its pressure campaign against Iran while limiting the economic impact at home, according to multiple reports.
The meeting, hosted by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, included Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to a White House source. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth was among the industry leaders in attendance, a company spokesperson confirmed.
Discussions focused on how to maintain the current blockade of Iran for an extended period without triggering sharp increases in consumer energy prices. One White House official described the effort as exploring “steps we could take to continue the current blockade for months if needed and minimize impact on American consumers.”
The official added: “The president meets with energy executives frequently to get their feedback on domestic and international energy markets.”
Participants reviewed a range of issues shaping the global energy outlook, including U.S. production levels, developments in Venezuela, oil futures markets, natural gas supplies, and shipping logistics.
The meeting comes as the conflict with Iran continues to disrupt global oil flows. The U.S. naval blockade, imposed after failed negotiations, has constrained Iranian exports and contributed to tightening supply conditions in international markets.
At the same time, instability around the Strait of Hormuz—a key transit route for global energy shipments—has pushed crude prices higher and increased volatility across commodity markets.
Gasoline prices in the United States have risen alongside crude, with national averages climbing as supply pressures ripple through domestic markets. The increases have renewed concerns within the administration and among congressional Republicans about the political and economic consequences of sustained high fuel costs.
The White House has taken steps to ease pressure on consumers, including temporarily waiving the Jones Act to expand domestic shipping flexibility. Still, officials acknowledge that options to fully offset a global supply shock remain limited.
For energy companies, the disruption presents a mixed outlook. Higher prices have boosted revenues for U.S. producers and exporters of oil and liquefied natural gas, but prolonged uncertainty could weigh on demand if elevated costs persist.
Administration officials are increasingly preparing for a prolonged standoff, with planning centered on managing both the geopolitical strategy and its economic fallout as global energy markets adjust to a sustained disruption. The point of the war with Iran, after all, is to win it.
