\n<\/p>\n
New Zealand has called on the US to send fuel tankers to the Pacific to help alleviate some of the significant economic and fuel pressure caused by the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Winston Peters, New Zealand\u2019s foreign minister, met the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in Washington on Tuesday, where they discussed bilateral relations, the war in Iran and the Pacific.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, Peters said he had made sure the US understood the \u201csignificant economic impacts on New Zealand and Pacific arising from the war\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just the New Zealand economy, but to the Pacific economies that we have so much responsibility for,\u201d Peters told the national broadcaster RNZ. \u201cWe left all that very clearly in their mind as concerns we had.\u201d<\/p>\n
They had had a \u201cserious discussion\u201d over how the US might help, Peters said, including asking the US to \u201cget some ancillary tankers ready and get them to New Zealand to spread it around the Pacific as fast as we possibly can\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe asked them: don\u2019t leave it to when it happens, get ready just in case it\u2019s going to happen. We had a very positive discussion on that basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pacific nations are especially vulnerable to fuel supply disruptions and rising costs due to their reliance on imported fuel.<\/p>\n In March, Pacific leaders appealed to foreign partners for help <\/a>with oil supplies. The Samoan prime minister, La\u2019aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, asked New Zealand if it was possible to divert fuel to the Island nation in case of crisis, while the Tongan prime minister, Lord Fakafanua, said New Zealand and Australia were sharing intelligence to help his country prepare for shortages.<\/p>\n Following Peters\u2019 and Rubio\u2019s meeting, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire after a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan, canceling an ultimatum from Donald Trump<\/a> for Iran to surrender or face widespread destruction.<\/p>\n Peters refused to comment on the US president\u2019s threat to annihilate the entirety of Iranian civilisation should Iran\u2019s government ignore his deadline to reopen the strait of Hormuz. \u201cI don\u2019t make comments on what presidents and prime ministers say \u2026 It\u2019s time for cool heads and not make a rush to judgment we will regret.\u201d<\/p>\n New Zealand\u2019s relationship with the US was \u201cexcellent\u201d, Peters said, but when asked if the two nations were close friends, he laughed. \u201cRespectful understandings amongst each other is more important, and we\u2019ve got that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n