US President Donald Trump confirmed that he is not concerned about the rise in gasoline prices in the United States as a result of the escalation of the conflict with Iran, stressing that the top priority at the present time is the American military operation.
In an interview with Reuters, Trump explained in response to a question about rising prices at gas stations: “I have no concerns about that. They will go down very quickly when this is over, and if they go up so be it, but the military operation is much more important than a little rise in the price of gasoline.”
In a related context, Trump expected that the military campaign against Tehran would take between four and five weeks, but political and military experts expressed doubts about the possibility of achieving this, pointing out that the US administration has not yet determined the final goal of the operation, especially as the conflict continues to expand in the region and beyond.
The US President also stated that he does not intend to resort to withdrawing from the “Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” and expressed his confidence that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping corridor near Iran, will remain open, adding that the Iranian Navy is at the “bottom of the sea.”
On the other hand, global oil prices have witnessed a noticeable rise of up to 16% since the beginning of the war last Saturday, as a result of the escalation of the conflict and its impact on energy supplies in the Middle East.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price of gasoline in the United States has risen by 27 cents since last week, reaching $3.25 per gallon, an increase of 15 cents compared to the same period last year, although Trump considered that costs “have not increased much.”
This is considered a shift in the tone of the US President, who previously praised the decline in gasoline prices during his “State of the Union” speech last month, and also focused on the energy issue at an election rally in Texas hours before the United States launched its air strikes.
For their part, Republican leaders in Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, downplayed concerns about rising fuel prices, although the party seeks to highlight economic achievements as part of its strategy for the midterm elections.
Political analysts believe that rising gasoline prices may negatively affect the performance of Republicans in the November elections, if voters, who are already suffering from high costs of living, decide to punish the party at the ballot box.
