Energy Secretary Chris Wright expressed optimism on Sunday about a decrease in gas prices, forecasting that they will soon fall below $3 a gallon. He also dismissed claims that the United States is targeting energy infrastructure in Iran.
Wright highlighted that fuel costs are currently “$1.50 a gallon cheaper” than during the peak of the Biden administration. He attributed the recent price hike to the military actions in Iran, describing it as a short-term issue expected to last just a few weeks rather than months.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Wright praised the Trump administration’s dedication to reducing energy costs, stating, “The Trump administration has been all in on lowering energy prices, and I would say quite successfully.” He noted significant reductions in gasoline and diesel prices and predicted similar trends for electricity costs.
He reassured the public, “We want it [gas prices] back below $3 a gallon. And it will be again before too long.”
As reported by the American Automobile Association, the national average for gas prices stood at $3.45 a gallon this past Sunday. Prices had been just under $3 before the recent military actions in Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, began a week ago.
The situation in Iran has been tense, with dramatic footage of black smoke and large fires engulfing Tehran circulating widely on social media. This followed Israeli strikes on various fuel sites in the area late Saturday.
In one apocalyptic scene, a massive fireball formed near Azadi Tower, which is not far from Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.
The Israel Defense Forces took credit for the attack, calling it critical towards undermining “the military infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime.”
Wright, however, was insistent that, for the US, “there are no plans to target Iran’s oil industry, their natural gas industry, or anything about their energy industry.”
“And these are Israeli strikes,” he said. “These are local fuel depots to fill up the gas tank in this neighborhood in Tehran.
“The US is targeting zero energy infrastructure. We want to end a 47-year war.”
Wright applauded the military campaign against Iran as a means of correcting a foreign policy quandary that has haunted the US for decades.
“It is simply unacceptable for the United States, for the Middle East geography and for the world economy to have a terrorist regime with nuclear weapons and a gigantic missile arsenal,” Wright said. “They have raised energy prices for Americans for decades. It’s finally going to come to an end.”
Part of why oil prices have shot up quickly over recent days is because travel through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil chokepoint off the southern coast of Iran, where about a fifth of the world’s oil flows through annually, has been stymied amid the attacks.
The US Navy has announced plans to offer escorts for oil tankers through the tumultuous Strait, where some fear Iran may ramp up its retaliatory efforts over the American and Israeli strikes.
“We’re not too long away, I think, before you will see more regular resumption of ship traffic through the Straits of Hormuz,” Wright said.
The Energy Secretary claimed that Iran’s missile launches have been down by almost 90% and its ability to fire off drones has plummeted by around 80% since Operation Epic Fury began.
