New Zealand has told the United States it should send fuel tankers to the Pacific in response to “significant negative economic impacts” the Middle East war was causing in the region, AFP reports.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters made the request during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.

“We had a serious discussion about how they might help,” Peters tells national broadcaster RNZ.

Wellington asked Washington to “get some ancillary tankers ready and get them to New Zealand to spread it around the Pacific as fast as we possibly can,” Peters adds.

“Don’t leave it to when it happens, get ready just in case it’s going to happen. We had a very positive discussion on that basis.”