White House insiders have revealed how Donald Trump’s war with Iran threatens to blow back on him where it really hurts.
Senior administration officials say the president remains committed to Operation Epic Fury, his sprawling war targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, ballistic arsenal, naval forces and proxy networks.
“The president is bullish on the success of the operation thus far and feels the country will realize he was right, per usual, once it’s over and the objectives are fully met,” one adviser told Axios.
But Tehran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which transports roughly a fifth of the global oil supply each year, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing as Trump heads toward what already promises to be a bruising midterm battle amid widespread economic concerns.
An Iranian attack threw that threat into sharp relief Wednesday evening. Videos now circulating on social media show two oil tankers engulfed in a massive blaze in the Persian Gulf following reported boat-bombings by the Islamic regime.
“The Iranians f–king around with the Strait makes him more dug in,” a senior White House official told Axios. Trump has repeatedly failed to give a clear timeline or set clear goals for his campaign against Iran.
“I wouldn’t say he’s looking for an exit strategy,” a confidant who spoke with the president recently added. “But he doesn’t want this to last longer than it needs to.”
Trump’s approval ratings have consistently hovered below 40 percent amid multiple controversies, including his shock invasion of Venezuela in January, the killing of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minnesota, and the Justice Department’s bungled handling of the Epstein files release.
Voters have repeatedly cited rising prices as a chief concern ahead of November’s race for control of the House and Senate. As oil markets continue to soar, gas prices may well have just become Trump’s greatest vulnerability.
The president has tried to brush off the scope of Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz as well as the threat it poses to the U.S. economy, while also moving quickly in an effort to mitigate both.
Axios reports Trump is “discussing plans to supply naval escorts to tankers traversing the Strait and arranging insurance for those vessels.” He also pushed for “the largest emergency oil reserve release in history” late Wednesday of 400 million barrels across the world, among them 172 million from U.S. stockpiles.
“The president sees the briefings. He sees the numbers. And he feels good about his decision, militarily,” an adviser told the outlet. “Oil is another matter. No one is panicking, but it’s a concern. He’s pulling out the stops. There’s plenty of oil. It’s just getting it on the market that’s the thing.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment on this story.
