by Joseph Weber
President Trump says gas prices, rising as a result of the U.S. war with Iran, might not decline before November, fueling headwinds for fellow Republicans trying to keep control of Congress during the midterm elections that month.
Trump said Sunday on Fox News that he hoped gas and oil costs would drop before the midterms, prices “should be around the same” time and might, in fact, be “a little bit higher.”
The U.S. and Israel began air strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, after Tehran and White House negotiators failed to reach an agreement on Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Trump has since said the campaign would last only weeks and that there would be only a “short-term increase” in gas prices. However, prices per gallon have since increased to over $100 a barrel, as Iran puts a choke hold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.
A marathon negotiating session in Pakistan this weekend between the Iranian government and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, to bring an end to war, amid a two-week ceasefire.
On Monday, the average price of gas in America was $4.125, up from $3.630 a month ago. This represents a 14% increase, according to the American Automobile Association.
The three states with the top gas prices are California, Hawaii and Washington. California’s average gas price is $5.893. Hawaii’s average gas price is $5.642, while Washington’s is $5.390.
Besides gas prices, diesel prices are also increasing throughout America. The average fuel price in America was $5.652, up from $4.892 a month earlier. This represents an increase of 16%.
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Joseph Weber is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.