Small Words: Big Meaning
“Not Good.”
The President used this phrase twice in his speech at the UN General Assembly.
When he used it and why it matters.
“The Iranian people are rightly outraged that their leaders have embezzled billions of dollars from Irana s treasury, seized valuable portions of the economy, and looted the peoplea s religious endowments, all to line their own pockets and send their proxies to wage war. Not good.”
What To Know:
- Pres. Trump hitting a hot button issue in Iran: struggling economy.
- High unemployment, falling currency & major drought.
- Iran invested heavily in Syria, Iraq & Yemen to advance interests.
- Nationwide protests organized to challenge Iranian leadership.
- More U.S. sanctions to come = more potential internal strife in Iran.
“OPEC and OPEC nations, are, as usual, ripping off the rest of the world, and I dona t like it. Nobody should like it. We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good.“
What To Know:
- OPEC = Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
- Members like Saudi Arabia & Russia supply nearly 50% of total world’s oil supply.
- OPEC “stabilizes” oil markets by agreeing to certain production output; that supply impacts price.
- Pres. Trump wants OPEC to keep oil supply up, so prices stay down. OPEC may not agree.
Connecting The Dots
- Iran is part of OPEC.
- Expected U.S. sanctions will prevent some Iranian oil from hitting the market.
- Less global supply = potentially higher oil prices.
- Higher oil prices may impact U.S. economy. This is why Pres. Trump wants OPEC to ramp up production, in part, to cover U.S.-imposed loss of Iranian oil.
The President began his UN speech speaking about the American economy, stating "America is governed by Americans. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism."
Sources
- Remarks by President Trump to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly | New York, NY:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-73rd-session-united-nations-general-assembly-new-york-ny/ - Irana s politics go topsy-turvy, 40 years after revolution:
https://apnews.com/fd66246974e34813a71e99a1fbbf0bd8 - Oil Continues to Soar on Supply Concerns:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-soars-to-four-year-high-on-supply-fears-1537871242