President Donald Trump launched a war with Iran to stop it from building a nuclear bomb. But nearly seven months in, the war is causing serious economic disruption, there’s still no clear plan for resolution and it’s souring even Republicans on Trump.
Iran-backed Houthi drones have knocked out Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, CNBC reports, a direct result of the war Trump started. Brent crude has surged above $109 a barrel; U.S. crude is nearing $105, a 16-week high. And the strategic oil reserve has fallen to 285 million barrels, its lowest level since 1982.
Members of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces react during what they say to be clashes with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a location given as near Al-Hazm, Yemen, on Sept. 9, 2026.
Americans are paying more for gas, diesel and food, but for what? The war looks like an expensive game of cat and mouse, with no resolution in sight and no clear benefit to the people footing the bill. That’s the opposite of what Trump promised.
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Trump’s Iran conflict is proving costly
As of Sept. 14, 2026, the national average gas price is $4.32 a gallon, according to AAA.
Every week brings new updates on the Iran conflict, and none of them are good for Americans’ bottom line.
Inflation rose slightly in August, pushing the annual CPI, or consumer price index, which measures the average monthly change in what consumers pay for goods, to 3.4%. Diesel has now hit an all-time high of $6 a gallon, driven largely by Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries, which have squeezed global fuel supply.
Trump has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop those strikes. But fair or not, voters are unlikely to separate Trump from high gas, oil and diesel prices, which will keep pushing up the cost of food and everyday goods.
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It’s no wonder Americans are more disenchanted with the Iran war as the months march on. A new NBC News poll revealed that a whopping 70% of voters disapprove of how Trump has handled the war.
Republican enthusiasm for the war is also cooling. Strong approval of his handling of the conflict has dropped 18 percentage points since the spring, to 30% among Republicans. Among MAGA Republicans, support has dropped by 21 points, to 43%.
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Iran war was a mistake, not ‘America First’
Every week, it seems, Trump tries a new negotiating tactic that ultimately fails. He’s tried so many, none of them are effective anymore. The most recent is new sanctions on Iran.
Trump gathers Cabinet for Camp David meeting
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Marine One, with President Donald Trump, comes in for landing at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026. President Trump is holding a Cabinet meeting at Camp David before traveling to New Jersey to spend the weekend at his golf club.
(AARON SCHWARTZ, AFP via Getty Images)
On Sept. 14, Trump posted on Truth Social: “The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage – The concept of which we are open to.”
He’s made dozens of comments like this before, including outright threats, and none of them worked, either. I bet the Iranian regime doesn’t even read his posts, let alone get concerned.
Trump stumbled into war with Iran assuming he could dismantle its leadership and nuclear capabilities as easily as he ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January. A grab-and-go copycat, if you will, just swapping the dictator for a nuclear program. He soon learned that Iran is no Venezuela, and his go-to “Art of the Deal” negotiation tactics don’t work here, in part because Iran controls a critical piece of global infrastructure – the Strait of Hormuz.
Now Trump seems stuck in Iran, with no real plan beyond his recent promise that it will be over “after the midterms.” He lacked the foresight to plan this conflict constructively, and he’s shown too much stubbornness to admit it’s failing even as the war drains America’s resources and reputation. Trump’s voting bloc includes millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers: men and women who fought in the war on terror, a war built on an extraordinary provocation, but one that came at great cost.
Now the Iran war is costing Americans economic stability, our reputation and the president’s attention. And for what?
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump’s Iran war keeps dragging on. For what? | Opinion