Trump's latest move has led to a surge in gas prices — but his administration says don't panic
Although Donald Trump has been criticized for his policies that contributed to a rising cost-of-living in America, one of his biggest achievements was to bring down gas prices. However, the war that he has been waging on Iran has once again sent gas prices shooting beyond $3 a gallon on average. Despite this, the administration remains confident that gas prices will come down in the near future, even as many are warning about a never-ending conflict.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright vowed that gas prices would fall below $3 per gallon before long, and also claimed that despite the war, prices were still $1.50 cheaper than what they were under the Biden administration. Wright also claimed the current uptick in gas prices would only last a few weeks and not months. He also predicted electricity prices to come down, according to a report in the New York Post.
“The Trump administration has been all in on lowering energy prices, and I would say quite successfully,” he said. “We have seen a dramatic decline in gasoline prices, in diesel prices. Soon, you will see it in electricity prices as well. We want it [gas prices] back below $3 a gallon. And it will be again before too long.” As of Sunday, the national average gas price stands at $3.45 a gallon. It was below $3 before the military operation in Iran.
Critics find Wright’s claims hard to believe, as damage to Iran’s oil and energy infrastructure would skyrocket prices in the United States. However, Wright claims that those are not the targets of Operation Epic Fury. “There are no plans to target Iran’s oil industry, their natural gas industry, or anything about their energy industry,” he said.
“The US is targeting zero energy infrastructure. We want to end a 47-year war,” he added. Wright also lauded the efforts of the US military towards what the administration believes to be a terrorist regime. The US does have a history of uprooting governments in West Asia when it doesn’t suit them. This time, Trump has pointed the finger at a supposed nuclear program that Iran was rapidly progressing in.
“It is simply unacceptable for the United States, for the Middle East geography and for the world economy to have a terr*rist regime with nuclear weapons and a gigantic missile arsenal,” Wright said. “They have raised energy prices for Americans for decades. It’s finally going to come to an end,” he added. One of the reasons why gas prices have gone up is that Iran has blocked the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is transported every year.
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