Global oil prices have skyrocketed past $100 a barrel following US and Israeli military operations against Iran, drawing sharp domestic criticism even as Donald Trump defends the economic fallout as a small price for eliminating the nuclear threat.
Global oil prices surged more than 20% in early Monday trading amid ongoing US and Israeli military operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to Iran International ایران اینترنشنال, a UK-based outlet generally opposed to the Iranian government. The channel reported that energy experts warn fuel prices could remain high for weeks or months if the military operations continue. Emphasizing the broader economic fallout, فارس بینالملل و سیاست خارجی, a hardline Iranian state-affiliated outlet, cited the Financial Times to claim that global markets are collapsing and high oil prices have cast a shadow over the worldwide economy.
The escalating conflict in the Middle East has pushed oil prices past $100 a barrel, according to اِپُک تایمز فارسی, a right-wing, conservative-leaning outlet. The channel quoted a Sunday Truth Social post from US President Donald Trump defending the economic impact. Trump stated that "short-term oil prices, which will drop rapidly after the destruction of Iran's nuclear threat, are a very small price for the security and peace of America and the world," adding that "only foolish people think otherwise."
Iranian state-aligned news aggregator آخرین خبر framed Trump's justification as taking the upper hand instead of accepting stupidity, noting a Fox News report where Trump predicted prices would drop once the nuclear threat is lifted. Furthermore, the channel highlighted a defiant reaction from Trump regarding maritime security, quoting him as urging that "oil tankers should dare to pass through the Strait of Hormuz!"
Domestically, Trump's policies are facing severe blowback, a narrative eagerly amplified by Iranian state media. آخرین خبر featured statements from an unnamed US Democratic congressional representative who blamed the 4-year high in oil prices on Trump's reckless war with Iran. Condemning the military action, the representative stated that "dead soldiers, billions of wasted tax dollars, and skyrocketing oil prices are the products of Trump's foreign policy."
Iranian state-aligned sources (Akharinkhabar and Fars News) heavily emphasize the economic damage to global markets and aggressively amplify US domestic political dissent to frame the military conflict as a failure of US foreign policy. Conversely, conservative and opposition sources focus more on the strategic goal of eliminating the nuclear threat and relaying Trump's assurances of market stabilization.