If you've filled up your tank lately, you've probably noticed that the pump is not your friend right now. The national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.520 on Monday, according to AAA, and in California, drivers are staring down $6.158. Diesel is even worse: $5.636 nationally, and a painful $7.449 in California. The culprit? The ongoing war with Iran, which has disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared on NBC Sunday to address the situation, but he wasn't in the mood to make promises. When asked when gas prices might fall below $3/gallon — a prediction he'd made earlier that President Trump dismissed — Wright said, "I can't make predictions about that." He added that a shift could come once there's a "free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz."

But Wright was quick to highlight the U.S.'s energy strength. "The United States is in a tremendous position," he said, noting that it's "by far the world's largest producer of oil." He acknowledged that gas and diesel prices are up and will "remain up while this conflict's in place," but he predicted they "will come back down…lower than they were before."

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is catching heat for telling Americans to hit the road despite high prices. He's also defending his upcoming reality TV show, where he drives across the country with his family, after allegations surfaced that taxpayer dollars funded the production.

On the oil markets, West Texas Intermediate crude was trading at $98.73/barrel, while Brent crude surged 3.43% to $104.8/barrel. The United States Oil Fund (USO), an ETF tracking WTI, slipped 0.37% to $133.10 in after-hours trading Friday.

Adding to the uncertainty, President Trump rejected Iran's response to a U.S.-backed peace proposal aimed at restarting negotiations. On Truth Social, he wrote: "I have just read the response … I don't like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!"

So, for now, drivers are stuck with higher prices, and the path forward depends on geopolitics as much as oil supply. Wright's message: hang tight, the U.S. has the resources, but the conflict needs to cool down first.