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Advertisement Asia US says can provide 'reliable' energy supply to Asia-Pacific Doug Burgum, US Interior Secretary, delivers speech at the reception of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum at the US ambassador's residence in Tokyo on Mar 13, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Eugene Hoshiko) 14 Mar 2026 05:44PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST TOKYO: The United States can provide "reliable" energy supplies to Asia-Pacific, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Saturday (Mar 14), 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.Burgum also addressed the need for a secure supply of critical minerals, as countries push to cut their dependence on top exporter China.Critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt are used in everything from electric vehicles, solar panels and smartphones to jet engines and guided missiles.The forum, which was organised before the Middle East war erupted on Feb 28, brings together political leaders and US energy companies aiming to seal commercial agreements.Countries taking part in the forum, including Japan, South Korea and Thailand, are expected to announce at least US$30 billion in energy and minerals deals with the United States, Bloomberg reported.Japan, the world's fourth-biggest economy which gets 95 per cent of its oil imports from the Middle East, unveiled a memorandum of understanding with Washington to jointly finance "strategic infrastructure" projects in emerging markets.Tokyo has agreed to invest US$550 billion in the United States by 2029 in return for lower tariffs under Trump's campaign of punishing global levies.Japanese giant Hitachi and US firm GE Vernova also agreed on Saturday to explore Southeast Asia for opportunities to build next-generation reactors known as small modular reactors (SMRs).Holtec and Mitsubishi Electric are also partnering in the nuclear sector.US company Venture Global concluded a long-term contract to supply 1.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas to a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Hanwha."The United States is by far the largest oil producer in the world. So when prices go up, we make a lot of money," Trump posted this week on his TruthSocial platform.The president is a staunch supporter of the oil industry and has championed his "drill, baby, drill" mantra promoting oil and gas production. Related: Oil price volatility puts energy-dependent Asian economies at risk: Analysts How exposed is Southeast Asia’s energy supply to the Iran war - who is most vulnerable and what’s next? Source: AFP/ia Newsletter Morning Brief Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief An automated curation of our top stories to start your day. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Asia Pacific War on Iran global oil prices Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST