Fox News anchor Dana Perino challenged Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday over the sharp spike in American fuel costs following the outbreak of war in Iran.
During the interview, Perino pointed to the financial strain on American households, noting that current prices are causing “heartburn and some heartache” for drivers. “It’s hard for a lot of people to figure out how they’re going to stomach this for much longer,” Perino said.
Since the onset of the conflict in February, the national average for a gallon of gasoline has surged to approximately $4.56. This represents a significant jump from the $2.83 average recorded just months ago.
Secretary Wright acknowledged the economic difficulty but maintained that the administration’s primary focus has shifted toward national security. He argued that the intervention was a direct response to Iran’s nuclear capabilities, claiming the country possesses roughly a thousand pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent.
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“It’s actually quite close to weapon-grade uranium,” Wright told Perino. “So they just get to this threshold where they’re not far away from nuclear bombs. President Trump is absolutely unwilling to hand the next administration a nuclear arm.”
The Secretary admitted that the current price hike stands in contrast to the administration’s usual platform of lowering energy costs. However, he insisted that the President weighed the economic impact against the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran before proceeding.
“When President Trump looked at the trade-offs of going into Iran right now, he knew his sort of beautiful record of just constantly pushing down energy prices,” Wright said. “But… he is absolutely unwilling to hand the next administration a nuclear arm.”
Wright’s comments align with recent statements from President Trump, who has characterized the increased cost of living as a “reasonable trade-off” to ensure long-term global security and prevent Iranian nuclear proliferation.
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