International Oil Prices Rise 2.8% to $73... White House and President-Elect of Iran in Conflict

Iran President-elect "No intention to meet Biden"
White House "Will meet Supreme Leader, not President"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] After the election of Iran's new president, international oil prices surged again as conflicts between the United States and Iran escalated.

Hardline conservative Iranian President-elect Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi is holding his first press conference after winning the presidential election on the 21st (local time) in Tehran, the capital. President-elect Raisi urged the United States to lift sanctions against Iran and return to the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 21st (local time), the July West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil price closed at $73.66 per barrel, up $2.02 (2.8%) at the New York Mercantile Exchange. This is the highest level since 2018.

WTI reacted sensitively after hardline conservative Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi was elected president in the Iranian presidential election and made negative remarks regarding the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) negotiations.

Conflicts between the United States and Iran are spreading again.

On the same day, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated at a regular briefing that President Joe Biden has no plans to hold a summit with President-elect Raisi of Iran.

Instead, Press Secretary Psaki expressed the position that President Biden should hold talks not with President-elect Raisi but with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Press Secretary Psaki said, "The president's view is that the decision-maker here (in Iran) is the Supreme Leader," adding, "This was the case before the election, it is the case now, and probably will be in the future."

Earlier, President-elect Raisi, at his first press conference, criticized the United States by saying, "Iran does not trust the U.S. because the U.S. broke the nuclear deal first," and accused the Biden administration of not fulfilling its obligations under the nuclear agreement.

President-elect Raisi also demanded the lifting of U.S. sanctions first and stated that he has no intention of engaging in dialogue with U.S. President Joe Biden.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.