On Monday, President Donald Trump pointed to Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries and refinery closures in Democratic-led states as gasoline prices climb.

Russian chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov argued the sharpest increase came after Trump's attack on Iran.

Trump Blames Refineries for Gas Price Surge

Trump said on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz was no longer the main factor behind rising gasoline prices, arguing that oil shipments had recovered.

Instead, he pointed to refineries, saying Russian facilities were being "blown up by Ukraine" while refineries in Democratic-led states such as California were being shut down.

The comments came as fuel prices remain elevated across the U.S.

American Automobile Association (AAA) data showed the national average for regular gasoline at $4.3653 per gallon Monday, up from $4.1459 a month earlier and $3.1339 a year ago.

Diesel averaged $6.3207, up from $5.8819 a month earlier.

Kasparov Challenges Trump's Explanation

Kasparov pushed back on Trump's argument, suggesting Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure were not responsible for the latest jump in U.S. fuel prices.

"Ukraine is amazing!" Kasparov wrote on X, sarcastically arguing that Ukrainian attacks were being blamed for multiple problems.

He added that diesel prices had remained stable during months of attacks on Russian refineries and "only spiked when Trump attacked Iran."

Ukraine is amazing! Responsible for the depletion of US stockpiles of weapons that were never sent to Ukraine and for the price of diesel that was stable throughout months Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, and only spiked when Trump attack attacked Iran. https://t.co/0r5bKFiULb

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 5, 2026

Iran War Adds Pressure to Global Oil Markets

The dispute comes as the war involving Iran continues to disrupt global energy markets.

The Strait of Hormuz normally handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments, while disruptions have raised concerns over crude and refined-fuel supplies.

While Trump has attributed the rise in gasoline prices to domestic refinery closures, exports through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen 97% since the war began, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said that its strikes have disabled 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity, though the figure has not been independently verified, ABC News reported on Monday.

The G7 has agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel from emergency reserves over four months to ease pressure.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.