Trump blames Democrats and Ukraine for soaring US fuel prices, not Iran war

Trump shifts blame for fuel price hikes to Democratic-led states such as California and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.With the United States midterm elections approaching, President Donald Trump has attempted to shift blame for high fuel prices from the US-Israel war on Iran to Democrats and Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries.“What’s driving up Gasoline is no longer the Strait of Hormuz, because Record Numbers of Barrels are coming out now on an almost daily basis, but the word, ‘Refineries,’ where Russia’s are being blown up by Ukraine, and where ours are being closed up, in Blue States, like California, by the Dumocrats,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4G7 nations to release oil and diesel stocks, will it bring down the prices?list 2 of 4Iran says Hormuz to remain closed until US meets conditionslist 3 of 4Middle East oil exports surpass pre-war levels despite tensions, data showslist 4 of 4Is Iran charging a toll to allow oil traffic through Hormuz?end of listWhile Trump claims domestic refinery closures are driving the spike, daily exports through the Strait of Hormuz have actually plunged 97 percent since the war began, choking global supplies.Petrol prices are continuing to climb for consumers. The average price for a gallon (3.79 litres) is $4.36, up from $4.14 a month ago and up from $2.98 on February 28, when the US and Israel first struck Iran, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which tracks daily petrol prices.“The ongoing conflicts with Iran and Russia’s war with Ukraine are reinforcing each other, impairing oil product markets, but Middle Eastern flows are far from normal,” Rachel Ziemba, senior adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Al Jazeera.On Friday, G7 countries agreed to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude from emergency reserves amid pressure from the White House. Meanwhile, the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve hits its lowest level since 1982.