Iran War Drives Gas to $4.13, Clouding GOP Midterm Outlook

A new CBS News/YouGov poll delivers a harsh verdict on President Trump's military campaign against Iran: most Americans are fed up, worried, and convinced the whole thing is going badly. The survey, taken April 8 to 10, shows the conflict entering its seventh week with little to show for the effort beyond higher prices at the pump and a president whose approval rating has slid to 39 percent.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they feel worried about the war, 57 percent feel stressed, and 54 percent are outright angry. Only 32 percent reported feeling safe or confident, while just 29 percent expressed pride in America's role. When asked about Trump's handling of the situation, just 36 percent approved. His numbers on the economy and inflation fared even worse.

Those polled listed clear priorities: reopen the Strait of Hormuz to restore oil flow, ensure safety and freedom for Iran's people, dismantle the country's nuclear program, and end its threats against neighbors. Yet majorities believe the United States has achieved none of these goals. Fifty-seven percent said the strait remains closed. Fifty-eight percent said Iran's people are not free. Forty-nine percent said the nuclear program has not been permanently stopped. And 55 percent declared it unacceptable for the current Iranian leadership to remain in power once the shooting stops.

Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed said the war is going very or somewhat badly for the United States. The poll also found that most Americans do not believe Trump has a clear plan to end the conflict.

The numbers arrive as gas prices remain painfully high, a direct consequence of disrupted oil shipments through the strait. On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that prices might still be elevated, or even a bit higher, by the time voters head to the polls in November's midterms. The comment marked a shift from earlier assurances that the spike would prove short-lived. Republican strategists voiced private concern that the prolonged economic pain undercuts the party's message on tax cuts and prosperity. Some worry safe seats could become competitive if voters continue to feel the pinch.

Iran's leaders showed no signs of folding. On Monday, the regime accused the United States of "piracy" for attempting to restrict maritime traffic in international waters. A spokesman for Iran's armed forces declared that security in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman is "either for everyone or for no one." If Iranian ports face threats, the statement warned, no port in the region would remain safe. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, took to social media to taunt Americans directly: enjoy current gas prices now, he wrote, because the blockade will soon leave them nostalgic for four or five dollars a gallon.

The exchange highlighted the uncomfortable reality that weeks of American military pressure have not produced the decisive result the administration once projected. Negotiations in Pakistan over the weekend ended without a breakthrough. Oil prices rose in response. The longer the conflict drags on, the more it threatens to dominate the political landscape heading into November.

Republicans who hoped to campaign on economic gains delivered by tax policy and deregulation now find themselves defending a war that has driven up costs for working families. Democratic operatives have seized on the moment, blasting out headlines about consumer sentiment hitting record lows. Even some GOP consultants admit the optics are grim. One strategist told The Washington Post that the higher prices climb, the lower the polls go, turning safe districts into battlegrounds.

Trump retains strong support inside the Republican Party itself, a fact underlined by his continued influence over primaries. Yet the broader electorate is clearly souring. The same poll that showed low marks on Iran gave the president just 35 percent approval on the economy and 31 percent on inflation. Immigration, usually a reliable strength, stood at 44 percent.

For Americans who remember past wars sold as quick and necessary, the current situation carries familiar echoes. Billions spent, lives disrupted, and daily reminders at the gas station that decisions made in Washington hit hardest in places far from the decision makers' neighborhoods. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that carries nearly a fifth of the world's oil, remains the central prize. Until it reopens fully and reliably, prices will stay stubborn.

The administration continues to insist the campaign targets a serious threat and that progress is being made. Yet the numbers tell a different story. A majority of the country has concluded the war is not delivering on its stated aims, that the human and financial costs are mounting, and that the promised benefits have yet to materialize.

How this plays out over the coming months will test whether voters blame Trump for stumbling into another Middle East entanglement or credit him for taking on a dangerous regime. For now, the data is unambiguous: public patience is wearing thin, prices are not cooperating, and the administration's central foreign policy gamble is underwater in the polls. Republicans facing reelection are already feeling the undertow.