Trump blames refinery closures and Ukraine for US fuel price rise
The president’s claims come as petrol prices climb and oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain far below normal.
US petrol prices have risen since the US and Israel struck Iran on 28 February, but President Donald Trump has blamed refinery closures in Democratic-led states and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries for the increase.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said record oil volumes were leaving the Strait of Hormuz and pointed instead to damaged Russian refineries and closures in states such as California. The report says Strait exports have fallen 97 per cent since the war began, though it gives no underlying methodology for that figure.
The American Automobile Association put the average US petrol price at $4.36 a gallon, up from $4.14 a month earlier and $2.98 on 28 February. The report does not quantify how much of the increase is linked to the Iran war, refinery capacity or attacks on Russian infrastructure.
Two California refinery closures over the past year reportedly reduced the state’s refining capacity by 17 per cent, according to an S&P Global analysis cited by Al Jazeera. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian attacks had disabled more than half of Russia’s oil refining capacity; the report provides no independent verification of that claim.
Rachel Ziemba of the Center for a New American Security told Al Jazeera that Middle Eastern oil flows remained far from normal and that the conflicts involving Iran and Russia were affecting oil product markets. G7 countries agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude from emergency reserves.
