The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. rose to just above $4.00 on Monday, according to AAA, the first time that’s happened in over a month. The price at the pump peaked for American drivers at $4.56 back on May 21.
California has the highest average price in the country at $5.49. Californians were paying $4.49 per gallon a year ago. Indiana drivers are paying the lowest price at $3.35, though that’s still above the price it was a year ago when Hoosiers were paying $3.16. The average cost of diesel is currently $5.10 nationally, according to AAA.
The rise in gas prices is directly tied to President Donald Trump’s disastrous decision to start a war with Iran on Feb. 28. The president told the Iranians to rise up against their government, while assuring Americans the conflict would last maybe 4-6 weeks. Israel, America’s partner in the war against Iran, also started a concurrent war against Lebanon and continues to bomb Gaza.
Almost 5 months later, there appears to be no end in sight. Americans are paying more for gas as well as the necessities to live. The annual inflation rate is currently at 3.5%, well above the 2% target set by the Federal Reserve. Wages in the U.S. were up 3.5% in June compared to a year earlier, but with inflation at the same level, people are just treading water.
President Trump has given conflicting answers about when the war with Iran might end, and constantly insists the war has already been won. The U.S. launched a ninth straight day of attacks against Iran on Sunday night, and three members of the U.S. military were killed over the weekend.
Seventeen troops have died since the start of the war, though new reporting Monday from the New York Times should give Americans pause about the official death toll released by the Pentagon. Dozens of troops were wounded last week in at least three strikes by Iran, according to the Times, but the Defense Department didn’t disclose the strikes nor the injuries. The Pentagon also said nothing about the damage to several helicopters in the region.
When discussing the rationale for attacking Iran so vigorously in recent days, the Defense Department has only mentioned Iranian attacks against commercial ships trying to cross through the Straight of Hormuz, which Iran effectively controls by launching attacks with drones and missiles. Those strikes have disrupted shipping, especially of oil and fertilizer. Roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply travels through the Strait.
The last time the Pentagon held a press briefing was late May, and it’s unclear when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will next answer questions from the media. It’s also unclear when Americans may find relief from high prices at the pump. The average price nationally a week ago was $3.87 per gallon, and we’re now just above $4.00.
Some gas stations in Pennsylvania have been selling heavily discounted gas as an apparent ploy to credit President Trump with lowering prices in the lead-up to the midterm elections in November. Dubbed the Freedom Fuel Network, it’s unclear exactly which shadowy group is behind the effort, according to the Associated Press, but the gas stations are owned by an odd collection of business people, an NFL kicking coach, and a fundraiser for the Republican Party.
President Trump seems to have been able to effectively bluff his way to lower gas prices and a soaring stock market in recent months. But it remains to be seen how long he can keep tricking the world. If history is any guide, it could be quite a rollercoaster of prices for the remainder of his term as the price of gas affects virtually every product on the market.
The president insisted in a tweet on Monday that the U.S. would get revenge for each and every U.S. troop killed by Iran.
“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military.”
If that’s the protocol, this war isn’t going to end anytime soon.
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