Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has a question for anyone who has filled up a gas tank lately: why does it cost so much? And he has an answer too, which is that it's the war in Iran.
On Tuesday, Sanders took to X to question rising energy costs, pointing to prices of $4.38 per gallon for gasoline, $5.87 for heating oil and $6.20 for diesel.
"Why is the price of gas $4.38 a gallon? Why is the price of heating oil $5.87 a gallon? Why is the price of diesel $6.20 a gallon?" he said.
"The answer is obvious: Trump's illegal war in Iran," he added.
Sanders also pointed to oil industry profits, writing, "Who benefits? Big Oil, which made $125 billion in profits this year."
He called for an immediate end to the conflict, concluding: "End this war — NOW."
According to AAA, the national average for regular gasoline was $4.3685 per gallon and diesel was $6.3151 on Tuesday, compared with $3.1333 and $3.6790, respectively, a year ago.
Iran War Drives Affordability Concerns
Last month, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said the Iran war had pushed affordability to the forefront of midterm races as diesel prices rose, particularly in Midwestern states.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) blamed President Donald Trump's Iran war for higher gas prices, saying, "All this for a war he can't even explain."
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) also blamed "Trump's war of choice" for higher costs, warning that Federal Reserve rate hikes would make credit cards and new-car loans more expensive.
Iran War Costs and Political Stakes
On Monday, Trump said higher fuel, fertilizer and other costs from the Iran conflict were a "small price to pay" to protect the U.S. from Iran, warning that Tehran could otherwise "take out a city."
The White House said he was referring to the potential threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Last week, the U.S. also prepared to deploy additional troops and military assets to the Middle East, drawing criticism from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who called it an "illegal war of choice in Iran" and urged Congress to "cut off funding."
Lara Trump acknowledged the war could hurt Republicans in the November midterms but said preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon was more important, arguing, "you really can't come back from that."
