Oil Tops $114 as Iran Standoff Spurs U.S. Gas Spike and Approval Worries

President Donald Trump's approval rating has collapsed to a new low as his administration's war with Iran drives gas prices to painful highs and leaves ordinary Americans struggling to afford basic necessities. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found just 34 percent of respondents approve of Trump's job performance while 64 percent disapprove, the worst reading since he returned to the White House in January 2025. On the specific question of how he is handling inflation and rising prices, the numbers are even more brutal: only 21 percent approval against 70 percent disapproval.

The timing is not coincidental. For two months the United States and Israel have conducted military strikes inside Iran, triggering a fragile ceasefire that now hangs by a thread. Peace talks have stalled, with Tehran demanding the lifting of American blockades before it will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which one-fifth of global seaborne oil normally flows. The closure, combined with the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, has sent shock waves through energy markets. Brent crude futures climbed above $114 a barrel on Wednesday, extending a multi-day rally even after the United Arab Emirates announced its surprise departure from OPEC.

At the pump, the consequences are immediate and tangible. The national average price for regular gasoline reached $4.229 per gallon according to AAA, a jump of more than twenty cents in a single week and roughly 25 cents higher than a month ago. Diesel has climbed to about $5.46 a gallon. These increases do not stay confined to fuel. They ripple through the economy, inflating the cost of groceries, shipping, and goods that working families buy every day. Truckers, small-business owners, and rural households that depend on vehicles for their livelihoods are absorbing the heaviest blows.

Trump has responded with characteristic bluster. On Truth Social he warned Iran to "get smart soon" and get its "act together," while reiterating his belief that gas prices will return to around three dollars a gallon once the conflict ends. His own Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, offered a more cautious assessment in a recent CNN interview, suggesting prices might not fall that low until later this year or even 2027. The contrast between presidential promises and energy-market reality has not gone unnoticed by voters already battered by post-pandemic price pressures.

The human cost of this conflict is not abstract. Every additional dime spent filling up a tank is a dime not spent on rent, medicine, or school supplies. For many Americans the war feels distant until they open their wallets. The Reuters/Ipsos survey captured sentiment mostly before Saturday's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, in which a suspect identified as Cole Tomas Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president. Whether that event will alter public views remains to be seen, but the underlying economic discontent runs deep.

Conservative commentators have seized on the crisis to renew calls for greater U.S. energy independence, arguing that reliance on Middle Eastern oil leaves America vulnerable. Yet this perspective conveniently ignores how the current administration's decision to escalate military action against Iran helped create the very volatility now punishing consumers. Oil prices have surged more than 49 percent since the conflict began on February 28. Markets remain jittery because no one can confidently predict when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal volumes. Limited tanker movements have resumed in recent days, but uncertainty continues to dominate trading floors.

The administration's plan to extend the blockade of Iranian ports, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, only deepens fears of a prolonged economic siege. Each day without meaningful negotiations raises the price ordinary people pay for their government's foreign policy choices. This is not the first time a Middle East conflict has translated into higher costs at home, but the scale of the current disruption, coming after years of pledges to avoid endless wars, has left many voters feeling betrayed.

Trump's sinking poll numbers reflect a broader verdict on leadership that prioritizes military confrontation over economic stability. When families cannot afford to drive to work or buy milk without calculating the added fuel surcharge, abstract talk of geopolitical strategy rings hollow. The White House insists the campaign against Iran is necessary for long-term security, yet the immediate security most Americans crave is the ability to fill their tanks without dread.

As Brent crude continues its climb and diesel prices threaten another round of grocery inflation, the disconnect between Washington's war room and kitchens across America grows starker. Negotiators in both capitals have so far failed to bridge the gap that would allow oil to flow freely again. Until they do, the heaviest price will continue to be paid not by generals or diplomats, but by truck drivers idling in line at the pump and parents deciding which bills can wait another month.

The poll's dismal findings suggest Americans are keeping score. A president who returned to office promising prosperity is now defined in the public mind by four-dollar gas and a war without an obvious end. Whether that political reality forces a change in approach remains to be seen. What is already clear is that the cost of this conflict is being measured in dollars and cents on kitchen tables from coast to coast, and voters are registering their disapproval in the only way that seems to matter.