House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday slammed President Donald Trump, saying that the war with Iran has cost ordinary Americans over $100 billion and caused gas prices to surge.
Donald Trump’s Reckless Iran War
In a post on X, Jeffries criticized the high gas prices in the U.S., calling the situation “out of control” and saying that “more than $100 billion” in costs to the American taxpayer had been “wasted in a reckless war of choice.”
Jeffries took a swipe at the ‘Operation Epic Fury’ name touted by the Trump administration, calling it the “Operation Epic Failure,” which “has been a disaster.”
Gas prices are out of control.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) July 12, 2026
More than $100 billion in taxpayer money has been wasted in a reckless war of choice.
Operation Epic Failure in Iran has been a disaster.
Gas Prices Rise
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan took to X, sharing that the national average price for gas would be breaking “an 8-week streak of declines.” He also said that prices were up approximately 11 cents compared to last week. The hikes would constitute “the first weekly rise since May,” De Haan said.
the national average is about to break an 8-week streak of declines- currently at $3.83/gal, gas prices are up ~11c/gal from a week ago- it'll be the first weekly rise since May
— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) July 12, 2026
According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average price for a gallon of gas was $3.8760, with California and Hawaii paying the highest prices at $5.389 and $5.471 per gallon, respectively. Indiana had the lowest average price at $3.247/gallon.
The analyst also acknowledged the rising oil prices, with Brent crude trading for $79.08/bbl at the time of writing this article, demonstrating an over 4% rise, while the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was also up 4% to $74.30/bbl at press time.
“Gasoline and diesel prices likely to continue drifting higher, although not yet at the pace we saw in March/April,” De Haan said in the post.
WTI crude oil jumps ~4% on the open to $74/bbl, while Brent up a similar amount. for now gasoline and diesel prices likely to continue drifting higher, although not yet at the pace we saw in March/April.
— Patrick De Haan (@GasBuddyGuy) July 12, 2026
U.S.-Iran Exchange Strikes
On Sunday, the U.S. Central Command announced it had struck several Iranian assets, including missile defense systems and radar technology, after Tehran had declared that it would be closing the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel had traversed through the waterway away from the designated route.
CENTCOM had earlier said that it had conducted strikes following Trump’s order to hold the Iranian government accountable for its actions. Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had vowed retaliation against the U.S.
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