What helps Trump is if he's the gatekeeper for people to make money pumping oil in the largest oil reserves on earth.

"Gatekeeper" works as well as "control". What the industry does not want is more supply on the market, which is what would happen if Venezuelan production was returned to where it was 20 years ago. That is where the "arty" part comes in: disrupting supply from other sources. Remember how the price of gas doubled when the Iranian revolution broke out? If the three amigos have control of Venezuelan production, as well as USian, they can charge a heck of a lot of money for the oil they produce.

What I'm wondering, is what excuse will be used to take Iraqi production off-line, after Iran has been knocked out.

According to the net sifter, starting in late 2025, the US forces in Iraq started moving into the Kurdish controlled area.

y late 2025 and into 2026, U.S. troop levels in Iraq were slated for reduction from around 2,500 to
fewer than 2,000, with most consolidating in Erbil (Kurdistan) and a smaller contingent (around 250-300) staying at Al-Asad base, supporting the anti-ISIS mission in Syria, as part of a transition from a combat mission to a bilateral security partnership by late 2026, according to agreements from late 2024 and 2025.
Key Details:

Original Presence: Around 2,500 U.S. troops were in Iraq.

Drawdown Plan (2025-2026): A phased reduction to under 2,000 personnel, with troops moving from Baghdad/Al-Asad to northern Iraq (Erbil).

Core Role: Remaining forces act as advisors and trainers for Iraqi forces, shifting focus to the Syria mission.

Timeline: The drawdown started in late 2025, with plans to solidify the new posture by late 2026.

So our guys are out of the line of fire, if the Pirate King decides to "punish Iraq" by bombing the southern oil fields and loading terminals.

Steve