White House says increase in gas prices is ‘temporary’ and claims there will be rapid drop – US politics live
Leavitt insists that hike in gas prices is ‘temporary’ and assures rapid price drop
The press secretary used her opening remarks to assuage anxiety around the hike in prices at the pump that many Americans have seen in the past week.
The recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary, and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term. 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.
Key events
US asks Israel to stop strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure – report
Lucy Campbell
The United States has asked Israel to halt strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, Axios reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter, marking the first time the US has reined in its ally since they went to war 11 days ago.
Washington sent the message at a senior political level and to IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir, Axios reports, citing an Israeli official.
Per Axios’s report, the Trump administration gave three reasons for the request, including a goal to cooperate with Iran’s oil sector after the war (as Trump has done with Venezuela); fears that the strikes would harm the Iranian public; and concerns that it could trigger massive Iranian retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across Gulf states.
It comes after an Israeli bombing of fuel storage facilities blanketed Tehran – a city home to some 10 million people – in toxic black smoke and acid rain over the weekend, raising urgent health warnings for ordinary Iranians.
Iran has appealed to to the United Nations to condemn the US and Israel for a “manifest environmental crime”.
During today’s press briefing, Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump would ultimately determine when Iran is “in a place of unconditional surrender”.
The press secretary clarified what this state looks like, after the president insisted that only at this point would the military operation be complete. “He’s not claiming the Iranian regime is going to come out and say that themselves,” Leavitt said. “What the president means is that Iran’s threats will no longer be backed by a ballistic missile arsenal that protects them from building a nuclear bomb in their country.”
Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Pentagon will release a full report of its investigation into the bombing of an Iranian girls’ school that killed at least 175 people.
Donald Trump has insisted that Iran was responsible for the attack, claiming that Iran might have Tomahawk missiles.
However, my colleague Tess McClure reports that a video has shown a US Tomahawk missile hitting the Iranian naval base next to a primary school in Minab – adding to evidence that indicates the US was responsible for the school strike.
“As the president said yesterday, he will accept the conclusion of this investigation,” Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday, without commenting on when the report might be released.
US Navy has not escorted a vessel through strait of Hormuz, White House confirms
Lucy Campbell
Karoline Leavitt was also just asked why Trump’s energy secretary earlier claimed that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the strait of Hormuz, before deleting the X post a few minutes later.
She replied:
I know the post was taken down pretty quickly, and I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though of course that’s an option the president has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time.
In response to a Reuters report that around 150 US service members have been injured since the military action against Iran began, the press secretary said she could not confirm this is the exact number. “I know it’s within that ballpark,” she said.
Karoline Leavitt did not provide any more specifics about the lifting of oil sanctions.
On Friday, treasury secretary Scott Bessent said that India had been issued a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil to offset the repurcussions of a distrupted supply chain since the US-Israel strikes on Iran began.
The press secretary told reporters that she had no announcements about the lifting of new sanctions.
Leavitt insists that hike in gas prices is ‘temporary’ and assures rapid price drop
The press secretary used her opening remarks to assuage anxiety around the hike in prices at the pump that many Americans have seen in the past week.
The recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary, and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long term. 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 says US military is ‘drawing up additional options’ to keep strait of Hormuz open, amid disruptions to oil supply chain
Leavitt noted today that the president and his energy team are closely watching the markets, when it comes the price of oil which has surged and dropped in recent days.
The press secretary noted that the US military is “drawing up additional options” following Donald Trump’s directive to continue keeping the strait of Hormuz open. “I will not broadcast what those options look like, but just know the president is not afraid to use them,” Leavitt said.
Karoline Leavitt said today that US forces have hit 5,000 enemy targets since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.
She noted that the regime’s ballistic missile attacks are down “more than 90%” and their “drone attacks are down by approximately 85%”.
In a short while we’ll also hear from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, as she briefs reporters. I’ll bring you the latest lines here.
Johnson reiterated that the SAVE America act is a top priority for GOP lawmakers moving forward. The legislation, which has already passed the Republican-controlled House, has stalled in the Senate.
A reminder that the bill would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, and showing voter ID to cast a ballot. However, Donald Trump wants to revise the legislation further and limit mail-in voting with a few exceptions, and include unrelated measures that would ban transgender people participating in women’s sports and gender-affirming surgeries for minors.
“Why is not passing in the Senate? Because no Democrat will go along with that,” Johnson told reporters in Miami on Tuesday. “Every Republican is in favor of those principles,” the House speaker added, while noting that the Senate’s majority leader, John Thune is “looking at all other avenues” to advance the bill.
The upper chamber’s top Republican appeared to dash his party’s hopes that they would be able to forge ahead without the 60-vote threshold requirement. “The votes aren’t there, one, to nuke the filibuster, and the votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster. It’s just a reality,” Thune told reporters.
Mike Johnson refuses to condemn GOP congressman’s Islamophobic social media posts
At the House Republican policy conference in Doral, Florida, speaker Mike Johnson refused to condemn congressman Andy Ogles’ Islamophobic posts on social media.
A reminder that the GOP lawmaker, who represents Tennessee’s fifth congressional district, wrote on X that “Muslims don’t belong in America”. Ogles has repeatedly denigrated the Muslim faith, insisting that it is “incompatible” with American values. His Islamophobic espousals have manifested in a piece of proposed legislation that would ban immigration from several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Syria and Libya.
On Tuesday, reporters press Johnson for his response to Ogles’ comments. “There is a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem,” he said in a attempt to justify Ogles’ posts. “That what animates this. That’s the language that people use, it’s a different language than I would use.”
He went on to say, without providing any evidence, that the imposition of Sharia law – the legal system of Islam that is enforced to varying degrees of severity across Muslim-majority countries – is a “real issue”.
“When you seek to come to a country and not assimilate…that is the conflict,” Johnson added. “It is not about people as Muslims, it’s about those who seek to impose a belief system that is in direct conflict with the constitution.”
