US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that the United States is in a “very fortunate” position as fuel prices approach $4.50 per gallon, their highest level in four years, amid disruption caused by the US-Israel war on Iran. Speaking on Tuesday, Rubio acknowledged the pain at the pump but insisted the US is better insulated than other countries due to its status as a net oil exporter.
“We’ve been insulated to some degree,” Rubio said. “We’re obviously still vulnerable, to some extent, to global prices. But in the end, we’re more insulated than other countries – even though that’s not welcome news to Americans that are paying more at the pump.” He added that other nations are suffering “big time” from the oil supply disruption.
Global oil prices have surged since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February, with the Strait of Hormuz – through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquid gas usually passes – now all but closed. Average US fuel prices stand at $4.48 per gallon, according to AAA, up from just under $3.17 a year ago.
Rubio claimed that without US action, prices could have been even higher – projecting $8 or $9 per gallon if a nuclear-armed Iran had closed the strait. “A nuclear-armed Iran could do whatever the hell they want with the straits, and there’s nothing anyone would be able to do about it,” he said. His comments come as Americans express frustration over rising costs, with one Detroit father telling the Guardian in March: “I don’t give a shit about Iran. I don’t want to pay higher gas.”
