Trump evaluates “additional options” to contain gasoline prices

Washington.- U.S. President Donald Trump is evaluating “additional options” to contain gasoline prices, which have been affected by the blockades resulting from the war in Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil circulates.

“The president and his energy team are closely monitoring the markets, speaking with industry leaders, and the U.S. military is analyzing additional options following the president’s directive to keep the Strait of Hormuz open,” stated White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt at a press conference.

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Leavitt avoided giving details about those options but stressed that “the president is not afraid to use them”. The average price of unleaded gasoline in the United States reached about $3.54 per gallon (3.85 liters) this Tuesday, the highest level since mid-2024. Prices have risen 21% in just one month, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Attacks on oil tankers and cargo ships sailing through Ormuz, which have already left seven sailors dead, according to figures from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), plus the persistent threats from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to continue with them, have practically closed the strait to traffic. According to the White House spokesperson, even before the war began, Trump knew that the Iranian regime would try to “disrupt global markets” and that’s why he has been “planning long before the attack to address these temporary disruptions.” So far, he said, the U.S. government has offered risk insurance to oil tankers operating in the Persian Gulf, suspended some oil-related sanctions, and offered to have the Navy escort tankers if necessary. “Americans should be assured that the recent rise in oil and gasoline prices is temporary, and that this operation (against Iran) will result in lower prices in the long term,” he stated.