US strikes on Iran resume as Iran hits back at US bases, sending oil prices back up
US and Iran are trading strikes again after their fragile ceasefire fell apart, which is bad news for oil markets, drivers, and Ukraine.
- The US hit dozens of Iranian military targets around the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran struck back at US bases in Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.
- Trump is threatening to reimpose a blockade and says he no longer wants a deal, keeping the region in a "no war, no peace" limbo.
- Oil jumped back to its highest level in weeks, pushing gas near $4 a gallon nationally and over $5 on the West Coast.
- The US strategic oil reserve is dangerously low β down to about 90 million barrels β leaving no cushion if the Strait stays shut.
- The fighting is draining US missile stockpiles so fast that there is little left to help Ukraine, which just failed to intercept a single Russian ballistic missile in a recent attack.
Outlook: With no deal in sight and oil supplies stretched thin, expect more tit-for-tat strikes, higher gas prices heading into the fall elections, and growing strain on US weapons stockpiles.