US weighs pulling back from Gulf bases as Iran war drags on
The Iran war is now hitting American wallets and American military strategy at once, and it is bad news for consumers, farmers, and Trump ahead of the midterms.
- The Pentagon is looking at shrinking its Gulf presence after months of Iranian strikes wrecked US bases there.
- Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to a trickle, and two more ships were attacked, killing a sailor.
- Diesel prices are close to their all-time high, pushing up the cost of food and everything else that moves by truck.
- Farmers are getting squeezed from three sides at once — fuel, fertilizer, and tariffs — with some facing foreclosure.
- Inflation is running well above where it sat before the war started, wiping out Trump's affordability pitch.
Outlook: Iran says the strait stays shut until Washington lifts sanctions and unfreezes assets, so the price pain and the pressure on Republicans look set to build into the midterms.