Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) said Sunday that Americans are growing weary of soaring diesel prices as the conflict with Iran drags on, but he argued the economic strain is a price worth paying to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I think there is some fatigue in that the American people see diesel prices increasing,” Crawford told host Chris Stirewalt on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.” He stressed that diesel is even more critical than gasoline because “our whole supply chain is fueled by diesel fuel.”
Nationally, diesel averages nearly $6.50 per gallon, according to AAA—up about 85 cents from a month ago and roughly $2.80 from a year earlier. The surge comes as the nearly seven-month-old conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, where Iranian military restrictions and attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels have throttled traffic.
The price spike has sparked a debate within the GOP over whether to temporarily ban diesel exports. President Trump endorsed the idea this week, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright pushed back on Wednesday, saying such a policy “definitely doesn’t work.” Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told The Hill that a 90-day export ban might lower prices initially, but refiners could respond in unpredictable ways. The proposal has also divided Senate Republicans, with farm-state lawmakers warning of unintended consequences, as reported in Senate GOP splinters over diesel export ban.
Crawford, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, acknowledged that rising diesel costs ripple through the entire economy. “Everything goes up,” he said, adding that it has made people “uncomfortable.” But he quickly pivoted to the national security stakes, echoing Trump’s argument that the economic pain is preferable to a nuclear-armed Iran.
“But here’s something that would make you even more uncomfortable, and that is Iran with a nuclear weapon,” Crawford said. “Is it worth it to pay a little bit more in diesel prices, hopefully in the short term, to neutralize their ability to arm in a nuclear way? Or are we just going to say, let’s just cut bait here and move on, cut our losses and move on? We cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran. We just can’t. And it’s going to make us a little bit uncomfortable.”
The political fallout is already being felt in key races. In Iowa, Republican Senate candidate Hinson has tied the Iran conflict to high prices at home, as detailed in Hinson ties Iran conflict to Iowa's high prices. Meanwhile, the export ban debate continues to roil Capitol Hill, with some warning it could backfire and cause scarcity, a concern highlighted in GOP diesel export ban push could backfire.
As diesel costs remain elevated, the Biden administration has not signaled a shift in policy, and the White House has not commented on Crawford’s remarks. The congressman’s comments underscore the delicate balancing act Republicans face: acknowledging voter frustration over high prices while maintaining support for a conflict that shows no signs of ending soon.
