Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 7 (ANI): Pankaj Gupta, President of the Industries Association Uttarakhand (IAU), said on Tuesday that industries in Uttarakhand are facing rising input costs and disruptions in exports due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Gupta said that the situation is affecting both supply chains and production costs. 'The ongoing war in the Middle East is impacting both supply and input costs. On the input side, costs have increased, while exports to the Middle East--particularly in sectors like pharmaceuticals, food processing, and handicrafts--have been disrupted, with no new orders coming in,' he said.

He further highlighted logistical challenges arising from the situation. 'Shipments are being diverted from their usual routes, leading to higher logistics costs and increased transit time,' Gupta added.

The impact is being felt significantly in industrial clusters across the Dehradun district, particularly in the Mahobewala and Selaqui areas, where several units are engaged in export-oriented manufacturing.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said that the United States could secure the Iranian oil as the war in West Asia continues to expand, saying, 'if I had my choice, I'm a businessman first'.

Trump's remark came when he was asked about securing Iran's oil during a press briefing at the White House. Trump referred to US actions in Venezuela to justify the idea.

'If I had my choice. Yeah, cause I'm a businessman first. We are a partner with Venezuela, and we've taken hundreds of millions of barrels,' he said.

Trump signalled towards moving away from US policy and taking 'the spoils' of war.

'You know that to the winner belong the spoils. Go for the spoils. I've said why don't we use it to the victor go the spoils. We haven't had that in this country, probably in a hundred years. We didn't have it with the Second World War. We helped rebuild all those countries,' he said. (ANI)