*** US says can provide 'reliable' energy supply to Asia-Pacific | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

US says can provide 'reliable' energy supply to Asia-Pacific

AFP | Tokyo

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

The United States can provide "reliable" energy supplies to Asia-Pacific, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Saturday, as the Middle East war cripples the region's oil and gas flow. Oil and gas prices have surged since US-Israeli strikes on Iran killed its supreme leader and plunged the Middle East into war. The conflict has virtually halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for oil and gas -- the vast majority of which is destined for Asia.

US President Donald Trump's "energy dominance" policy aims to ensure that "we have energy to allow for prosperity at home, and we have the ability to sell energy to our friends and allies," Burgum told an event in Tokyo bringing together 17 countries from the region.

That ensures the region has a "reliable, affordable and secure" energy supply that "can't be interrupted by a terrorist regime," he said.