Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said President Donald Trump has never had command of the war with Iran and is ignoring its mounting economic toll on Americans, after global oil prices reached $100 a barrel for the first time since July. Murphy’s post on X linked to New York Times reporting on the price surge.
Murphy: “He Simply Doesn’t Care About the Cost”
“Trump lost control of the war right from the start. But he continues it because he simply doesn’t care about the cost that is mounting on American consumers, farms, and businesses,” Murphy wrote. “Oil is back over $100 a barrel.”
Brent Crude Up Nearly 40% Since the War Began
Brent crude, the international benchmark, reached $100 a barrel Wednesday for the first time since July, nearly 40% higher than before the war began, according to the Times. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, was up 41% since the war’s start, trading at $95 a barrel. Brent had briefly topped $100 in July and peaked near $120 a barrel in the war’s early months.
Diesel Prices Surpassed Their Previous Record, Set Four Years Earlier
Rising crude has pushed the average U.S. gasoline price above $4 a gallon, according to AAA’s daily price tracker, while diesel this month exceeded its previous record high set four years ago, reaching nearly $6 a gallon — an increase of more than 55% since the war began.
Bank of America Says Fuel Products Have Been Hit Harder Than Crude Itself
“The biggest impact of the conflict has been on petroleum products rather than crude oil itself,” Bank of America analysts wrote in a research note cited by the Times, noting that refined products like gasoline and diesel have seen steeper relative increases than crude prices alone.
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Added New Pressure This Week
The Times noted that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia injured dozens of civilians the same week and that Saudi officials reported temporary disruptions to energy facilities. Separate reporting from NPR, CNN and Al Jazeera detailed the incident further: Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched missile and drone attacks on energy facilities in southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding 73 civilians, including women and children, according to Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. Al-Malki called the attacks a “serious escalation” and “a flagrant violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty.” The strikes hit sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, including a 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Jazan, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest, sparking fires and forcing a temporary halt to operations at several facilities, the Saudi Energy Ministry said. Oil prices rose more than 1% immediately following the attacks as traders weighed renewed risk to Saudi exports through the Red Sea. The Houthis said the strikes were in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen over the preceding days.
Houthis Have Targeted an Alternative Shipping Route to the Strait of Hormuz
The Houthis have separately restricted tanker traffic at the southern end of the Red Sea, a route Saudi Arabia has used as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz since the war with Iran began. Fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which had been largely dormant since a 2022 truce, resumed in July after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire collapsed, according to the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Conflict Tracker.
Strait of Hormuz Has Carried a Fraction of Normal Traffic Since February
Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, oil exports from the Persian Gulf have been sharply curtailed, with Iran using force to block most tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil. The U.S. Navy has been helping guide some tankers through the strait, which analysts say has helped limit how much further prices have risen.
Federal Energy Data Shows Sustained Disruption to Global Supply
Separately from the Times’ reporting, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s most recent Short-Term Energy Outlook estimated that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz fell from roughly 21.6 million barrels per day before the war to about 4.9 million barrels per day by the second quarter of 2026, independently corroborating the scale of the disruption Murphy and the Times both cited.
Analysts Warn Prices Could Reach $150 a Barrel if Conflict Widens
Bank of America analysts said “lower-than-expected supply, declining inventories and geopolitical uncertainty will likely keep oil price risks high in the near term.” They said a cease-fire could produce a “swift reversal” in prices, but that a broader conflict causing major damage to energy infrastructure could push oil as high as $150 a barrel.
Rising Fuel Costs Are a Wild Card in Upcoming Inflation Data
The Times noted that volatile energy prices remain one of the largest uncertainties in monthly U.S. inflation reports, with the next inflation reading scheduled for release two days after oil crossed the $100 threshold.
War Has Continued Into Its Seventh Month
The conflict began Feb. 28 and has continued intermittently since, including the collapsed ceasefire, without a clear public timeline for resolution. Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has repeatedly criticized the administration’s conduct and communication about the war throughout the conflict.