U.S. says it can provide ‘reliable’ energy supply to Asia-Pacific

The United States can provide “reliable” energy supplies to Asia-Pacific, U.S. 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 U.S.-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.