(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Trump has said he would “never apologize” for the higher gas prices Americans are facing due to his war with Iran, downplaying the surge in prices as just a “tiny little bit more.”
The US president framed the increase in gas prices as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, though there was no evidence either before the June 2025 war or the current conflict that Tehran was attempting to develop a nuclear bomb.
“So, for you to pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline, just remember you’re doing it so that a very evil country cannot have a — really, it’s the number one state sponsor of terror in the world — we don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” the president said on Friday during a rally on Long Island.
Trump says Americans are paying extra on gas to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
US troops serving in the war largely agree the conflict is for Israel.
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“When you have to pay a little bit more, you’re at $4. It’s okay. I’ll never apologize. I did the right thing … you just have to remember that what we’re doing is a great service for the world. Not only for ourselves, but for the world. And we’re really doing a great job,” he added.
The president also said that, once the war ends, he would declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory. “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” he said.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded to Trump’s comments, saying the US leader needed to accept defeat. “This strait will only be opened and closed under Iran’s command, and as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,” he said.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
