Republicans sharply criticized former President Joe Biden over rising prices at the gas pump, but a spike in energy prices amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran threatens to scramble the party’s affordability messaging.

The Iran conflict has led to a surge in gas prices for Americans, leading to an average 50 cents a gallon increase since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.

The average price of gas reached $3.63 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA. Diesel prices have also risen to $4.89 per gallon. The increases have been mostly fueled by volatility in oil prices, which closed above $100 per barrel Thursday for the first time since 2022 as the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively shuttered from the conflict.

The president characterized the gas price hike amid the Iran conflict as «a very small price to pay» in a Truth Social post Sunday.

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That statement represented a sharp break with Trump’s typical messaging touting low gas prices prior to Operation Epic Fury.

«Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor — it was quite honestly a disaster — is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states. And in some places, $1.99 a gallon,» President Donald Trump said during his Feb. 27 State of the Union address. «And when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.»

The surge in gas and diesel prices threatens to undermine the economic message of President Trump and congressional Republicans, who have touted low gas prices as a major win in the lead-up to November’s midterm elections. Cost of living issues are expected to be a key concern among voters as both parties claim to be laser-focused on making everyday life more affordable.

Trump directed the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to release 172 million gallons of crude oil Wednesday in an effort to lower oil prices.

«I filled it up once, and I’ll fill it up again, but right now, we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down,» Trump told Cincinnati news station WKRC.

During the 2024 presidential contest, Trump frequently campaigned on ending Biden’s «war on American energy» and pledged to reverse a surge in gas prices that occurred under his predecessor’s tenure.

Gas prices averaged $3.45 per gallon across all fuel grades during Biden’s four-year term, surging to a record high of more than $5 per gallon in June 2022 after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

«Starting on Day 1, we will drive down prices and make America affordable again,» Trump said during a speech at the Republican National Committee convention in July 2024. «People can’t live like this.»

Democrats have seized on rising prices at the pump amid the conflict in Iran.

«I wish the administration thought about this before they started this unnecessary war,» Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, said Monday when asked about the gas price hike.

«Donald Trump’s war has sent gas prices skyrocketing through the roof,» Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on social media Monday. «What contempt. What cluelessness.»

President Donald Trump has argued that the rise in gas prices will be «a very small price to pay» amid Operation Epic Fury. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Republicans have voiced confidence that the rise in gas prices would be temporary. GOP lawmakers have frequently cited their efforts to roll back Biden-era energy regulations and boost domestic production as evidence that their policies are working to lower energy prices.

«It’s going to be probably volatile for a period of time. I think what’s going to be key is ensuring we can get safe access to the Strait of Hormuz,» Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Monday, adding that he was confident the disruption would be short-lived.

Daines, who abruptly suspended his re-election campaign last week, highlighted that average gas prices were under $3 per gallon prior to Trump’s State of the Union speech. 

«That’s an important win for the American people,» the retiring Montana lawmaker said. «Something you’re reminded of usually weekly when you’re gassing up your vehicle.»

Some Republicans and Trump administration officials are also arguing that a defeated Iran will ultimately spur lower gas prices, even if there is pain in the short run.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the recent increase in oil and gas prices as «temporary» during a briefing Tuesday.

«Once the national security objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved, Americans will see oil and gas prices drop rapidly, potentially even lower than they were prior to the start of the operation,» Leavitt said.

«At the end of the day, we’re going to destroy this regime, and their ability to disrupt oil is going to be less, and we’re going to have more production, not less,» Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters Monday. «Once you take the largest state sponsor of terrorism off the planet, who depends on oil for their revenue, that’s a more stable world.»

A Navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world’s oil and gas passes, on March 1, 2026. (ISahar Al Attar/AFP via Getty Images)

However, some Republicans are warning that high oil and gas prices could be catastrophic for the party’s midterm prospects.

«I think if you add in high gas prices, high oil prices, and if we are still bombing Iran with kinetic action … I think you’re going to see a disastrous election,» Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday.

Nearly seven in 10 Americans — including 44% of Republicans — expect gas prices to keep increasing in the coming months, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll released Monday.

Trump has threatened Iran with unprecedented force if the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz is further restricted.

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«Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!» Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

Iran’s decades-long use of the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint for global oil shipping from the Middle East will come to an end, according to President Donald Trump, and he is rallying the world to free it.

«Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,» Trump wrote Saturday morning on Truth Social.

Iran closing the strait has roiled global oil supply, causing gas price increases even in the states, despite the fact the U.S. is a net-exporter of oil and gets only a fraction of its oil from the Middle East. Trump is calling on those countries relying on the oil tankers from the strait to share in the responsibility to free it up.

«We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are,» Trump’s post continued. «Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated.»

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Trump vowed a massive campaign to knock out Iran’s ability to terrorize the oil tankers transversing the region.

«In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water,» he concluded. «One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!»

Trump added in another Truth Social post five hours later that the countries relying on that Middle East oil must take responsibility for it now, too.

WATCH SHIPPING THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ GRIND TO A HALT AMID IRAN CONFLICT

A timelapse video shows marine traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)

«The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!» Trump wrote. «The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be — It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!»

None of those countries gave any immediate indication ​they would do so. In fact, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed both China and Russia are «strategic partners» supporting defense against U.S. and Israel-led aggression.

«That includes military cooperation,» he told MS Now in an interview Saturday. «I’m not going into the into any details of that, a good cooperation with these countries, politically, economically, even militarily.»

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Araghchi is perpetuating a «confused policy,» according to the United Arab Emirates, as the Islamic Revolution Guard contends the strait will remain closed, while the foreign minister suggests all countries other than the U.S. or Israel will be permitted to pass.

«As a matter of fact, the Strait of Hormuz is open,» Araghchi said. «It is only closed to the tankers and ships belong[ing] to our enemies, to those who are attacking us and their allies. Others are free to pass.»

Takayuki ⁠Kobayashi, Japan’s ruling party policy chief, told public broadcaster NHK that «the (legal) threshold is very high.»

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Japan interprets its pacifist postwar constitution to mean it can deploy its military if the nation’s survival is threatened, but the government would have to invoke a 2015 security law that has not been used.

South Korea’s presidential office said it would decide on Trump’s request after a «careful ⁠review.»

France is seeking ​to assemble a coalition to secure the strait once the security situation stabilizes, while Britain is discussing a ​range of options with allies to ensure the security of shipping, officials have said.

A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, vital for global energy supply. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who replaced his slain father and who the U.S. and Israel understand to be injured, has said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth says the new supreme leader was «disfigured» in the initial strikes that killed his father late last month.

«There is no problem with the new supreme leader,» Araghchi told MS Now. «The system is working.»

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«Everything is under control.»

Reuters contributed to this report.

A new wave of Republican women running in competitive congressional races is aiming to chip away at Democrats’ long-held advantage with female voters — and flip key seats that could determine control of the House this November.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, one of these candidates, Laurie Buckhout, a former cattle rancher, U.S. Army veteran and mother, knocked the Democratic Party for trying to «pigeonhole» female voters into a single category.

«The Democrats try way too hard to pigeonhole us women in a certain role while they still can’t define what a woman is,» she quipped.

She believes that despite the rhetoric, Democrats are «really out of touch when it comes to women voters.»

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«They try to own that gender and try to stuff them in a box,» she went on. «’This is how you’re going to vote. Don’t tell your husband. This is how you are going to think.’ Republicans don’t do that.»

This midterm election, Buckhout is running to unseat Democratic Rep. Don Davis in North Carolina’s Congressional District 1. The district stretches across the northeastern corner of the state from the border with Virginia to the Atlantic coast. After narrowly losing to Davis in the 2024 election, Buckhout’s campaign has already garnered significant momentum this time around. She defeated a field of four other Republican candidates in the March 3 primary and, just this week, was further bolstered by an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

As the dominant party in an off-year midterm cycle, many expect that Republicans will take a beating at the ballot box this November. Buckhout, however, thinks it will be a very different story in North Carolina. With the GOP barely grasping onto a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, every seat matters.

«I can tell you the people of North Carolina, especially eastern North Carolina, they want to live their lives with a minimum of government interference, they don’t want big government leaning in, telling them how to live their life, what to do, taking their money out of their pockets for more and more taxes for programs that they don’t need and they didn’t vote for,» she said. «So, I can tell you that we feel very good about this being a Republican election, taking this, adding another seat to the House.»

Buckhout is not the only female Republican candidate who stands a good shot at flipping a blue district red this year.

In one of the GOP’s top targeted districts, Carrie Buck, a former school principal and self-described minivan mom, is angling to unseat Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada Congressional District 1 in Las Vegas. As of the latest Federal Election Commission filings, Buck has significantly outraised Titus, further signaling the incumbent’s vulnerability.

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Left: Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev. Right: Nevada state Sen. Carrie Buck, who is running for Congress. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Campaign for Carrie Buck)

Buck told Fox News Digital that after serving in Congress since 2013, Titus has «had her chance, and Nevada families are still waiting for results.»  

«I spent 30 years in classrooms — teaching, running schools, and working to fix problems. During that same time, Dina Titus was in public office, unable and unwilling to address the challenges Nevadans face: rising inflation, soaring crime rates, an open border, and failing schools,» she said.

On the East Coast, Tiffany Burress, a New Jersey attorney who is a newcomer to the political scene, is running to unseat Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou, who is considered vulnerable.

If the GOP could pick up the seat, it would be a huge boon in retaining the majority.

«Voters are ready for something different, and that’s how I know we’re going to win,» Burress told Fox News.

She knocked Pou, saying she has «spent decades living on the taxpayers’ dime,» and «puts extreme progressive agendas ahead of the priorities of our district» by voting with the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nearly 94 percent of the time.

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and Republicans are attempting to retain their majority this midterm election cycle. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Similarly, Barb Regnitz in Indiana’s first congressional district is running to flip a long-held Democratic seat currently filled by Rep. Frank Mrvan.

Regnitz, who is a former software engineer and current Porter County commissioner, told Fox News Digital that «for almost 100 years, Republicans have been powerless to stop the failed policies of the far-left that have resulted in falling incomes, struggling industry, and increasingly unsafe communities right here in Northwest Indiana.»

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«I’m running for Congress because I believe our district deserves serious, principled leadership focused on results, not rhetoric,» she said.

Down in Texas, another Republican woman, Jessica Steinmann, is fighting to retain a Republican seat north of Houston, being left vacant by Rep. Morgan Luttrell, who opted not to seek re-election.

Steinmann formerly served in President Donald Trump’s Justice Department during his first term as director of the Office for Victims of Crime.

She told Fox News Digital she is running for Congress «because the next two years of President Trump’s administration are critical for our country.»

«I was proud to serve in the first Trump Administration, where I saw firsthand what strong, America First leadership can accomplish,» she said, adding, «I’m confident that message will carry us to victory in November.»