{"text":[[{"start":10.19,"text":"The White House has raised the prospect that President Donald Trump could ask Gulf states to help pay to cover the costs of the US and Israel’s war with Iran."}],[{"start":21.68,"text":"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked by a reporter on Monday whether countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would “step up” to pay for “the vast majority of the cost of the war”, which the reporter claimed they did during the first Gulf war in 1990-91."}],[{"start":42.97,"text":"“Well, I think it’s something the president would be quite interested in calling them to do,” Leavitt said. “I won’t get ahead of him on that, but certainly, it’s an idea that I know that he has, and something that I think you’ll hear more from him on.”"}],[{"start":58.8,"text":"The Gulf countries, along with Japan, Germany and South Korea, made substantial contributions to offset the costs of the first Gulf war, which began when the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The US military led an international coalition and forced Baghdad to retreat."}],[{"start":81.58,"text":"The US launched the current conflict with Iran against the urging of the Gulf states, whose leaders were concerned about bearing the brunt of the economic fallout. Analysts estimate they have each sustained millions of dollars in lost revenues and structural damage from Tehran’s retaliatory strikes."}],[{"start":101.28,"text":"The White House declined to comment further. "}],[{"start":104.73,"text":"Asked by a reporter on Sunday whether he wanted to see the Gulf states “fight back”, Trump said: “They are fighting back” and praised their efforts."}],[{"start":115.18,"text":"People familiar with the administration’s conversations with Gulf states said the president has not broached the issue."}],[{"start":123.83000000000001,"text":"The war, which began on February 28, has sent shockwaves through global energy markets as Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which the region’s oil exports transit."}],[{"start":137.31,"text":"Trump said at the start of the conflict that it was aimed at eliminating “imminent threats from the Iranian regime” and to “ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon”."}],[{"start":149.8,"text":"As petrol prices have soared amid the fallout in recent weeks, the president has expressed growing fury at Nato and European allies for refusing to help force the reopening of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil typically transits."}],[{"start":168.03,"text":"Leavitt on Monday said the US has bombed more than 11,000 targets in Iran in the four weeks since the war started. "}],[{"start":178.17000000000002,"text":"Her comments came after Trump earlier threatened in a Truth Social post to enact “retribution” on Iran by “blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinisation plants!)” if Tehran did not agree to US demands and reopen the strait to shipping."}],[{"start":210.64000000000001,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1774947076_2351.mp3"}