Gavin Newsom slams Trumps new war as gas prices

The U.S. and Israel’s assaults on Iran are already surging gas prices to their highest ranges in months, and Democrats are calling out the financial dangers of the battle in the Middle East.

Following the large-scale U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Iran, which killed both Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, California Governor Gavin Newsom called out President Donald Trump for the ramifications on oil prices.

The president has run his affordability agenda on reducing gas prices for Americans. Now, oil prices are leaping 7% on Monday as tankers and shipments have been disrupted by Israel and Iran’s continued assaults in the key oil-producing area.

“Average gas prices in California have stayed below $5 for nearly two years. Trump’s new war is already rattling markets. We’re watching this space. Closely,” Newsom’s press workplace wrote on X.

The U.S. Oil & Gas Association — a nonprofit commerce affiliation for the home oil and natural gas industry — clapped back at Newsom on X, writing, “Time to school the Pajama Boy who runs this account for the Gov – because this isn’t the flex on Trump he thinks it is….”

“California imports 63% of is crude from foreign countries – despite sitting on at least 1.7 billion barrels of proven reserves,” the post continues, and the affiliation added the breakdown of where California refineries source their crude oil.

“The only state worried about rattling foreign markets is California because you have let yourselves become dependent on foreign supplies,” the post concluded. “You’ve done this to yourselves.”

While California has the best gas prices in the nation, the continuing battle in Iran might additional raise oil prices nationwide.

California has the most costly gas prices in the U.S.

According to the latest figures from AAA, California’s current gas price average is $4.657, the best in the whole nation, while the national average is $2.997 as of Monday.

Since July 2025, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has warned that California might face larger gas prices due to two deliberate refinery closures.

The complete West Coast might face fuel price volatility as the state will lose “17% of its oil refinery capacity over the next 12 months,” the EIA said. Phillips 66 announced it was closing its large Wilmington refinery in Los Angeles at the end of 2025, and Valero also announced it’s closing Benicia refinery in the Bay Area by the end of April 2026.

The EIA said that California sometimes has larger retail gas prices in contrast to the national average due to its restricted connectivity to U.S. refining hubs, such as the Gulf Coast.

How will the Iran war influence gas prices?

Consumers might face the risk of larger gas prices as the war continues to influence the vitality industry.

Shipping giants have suspended operations through the Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for global oil tanker connectivity.

Qatar announced on Monday that it was halting liquefied natural gas manufacturing due to Iran’s assaults on two working services. This immediately led to European and U.S. natural gas prices surging.

The unbiased oil analyst Tom Kloza, an advisor to Gulf Oil, told GWN that he expects retail gas prices to rise 5 to 10 cents a day for a time. The uncertainty surrounding vitality prices comes as gas prices sometimes rise with seasonal demand.