Trump says he “likes inflation,” links price growth to Iran conflict

US President Donald Trump has downplayed concerns about rising inflation, stating he “loves” it, according to comments cited by Forbes.

When asked by journalists whether he was worried about the increase in consumer prices, Trump replied: “No, I love it. I love the inflation.”

He added that inflation would fall “like a rock” once the war with Iran ends.

The US president also said he had previously warned about the impact of operations involving Iran on the American economy. At the same time, he noted that despite inflationary pressures, the US stock market had reached record highs.

The American leader has claimed that the US has been “taking out millions of barrels of oil” during the Iran war, arguing that this is why oil prices stand at $85 per barrel (West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures were trading at $91 on June 10). It remains unclear what he meant by “taking out” oil; he also stated that the US “took out the other night, 22 ships.”

Trump made the comments as he restarted attacks on Iran, telling reporters that the United States would attack Iran “hard” on June 10. Earlier in the day, he said Iran would “have to pay the price” for having “taken too long to negotiate a deal,” describing them as “all talk and no action.”

The president also repeated his long-standing claim that the United States and Iran were “really close to a deal,” a position he has repeated for weeks, even as fighting between the two sides has continued.

By Jeyhun Aghazada