House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the Iran conflict now needs to be “brought to a resolution,” while acknowledging that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are driving up U.S. fuel and grocery prices.
Johnson Calls For Iran War Resolution
“It’s been a priority and an objective of every administration, for 50 years nearly, to ensure that Iran didn’t have a nuclear capability. Now that’s done. Operation Epic Fury was an epic success,” Johnson said in a local television interview on Wednesday. “But now we’ve got to bring that to a resolution.”
Johnson did not call for an immediate end to the war or outline specific steps to wind it down. Reuters reported that Iowa Senate candidate Ashley Hinson and Michigan candidate Mike Rogers also called this week for a swift end to the conflict while proposing measures such as suspending gasoline taxes and limiting diesel exports.
Fuel Costs Deepen Pressure On Households
Johnson tied the conflict directly to household costs. “The Strait of Hormuz not being open affects commerce. It directly affects gas prices and fuel prices. And also, you know, the price of groceries, for example, because they got to be transported, and the higher fuel prices are a factor in that as well,” he said.
Energy Information Administration data underline that pressure. U.S. regular gasoline averaged $4.478 per gallon for the week ended Sept. 21, up $1.305 from a year earlier, while on-highway diesel reached $6.529, up $2.780 year over year. The diesel surge has already raised concerns about costs across trucking, agriculture and consumer goods.
EIA data show petroleum shipments through Hormuz averaged 4.9 million barrels per day in the second quarter, down from 21.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. The agency calls Hormuz one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints.
A separate Associated Press report this week found growing voter frustration over gasoline prices around $4.50 nationally, including among some Trump supporters.
Republicans Push Relief As Prices Rise
Johnson said he expects prices to ease if the waterway reopens. “I think as soon as the Strait of Hormuz is reopened … then the president’s right. Gas prices come back down.”
Hinson has called for a diesel-export pause and gas-tax suspension, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said the U.S. could explore export restrictions.
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