By Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday he believes gas prices have peaked but predicted that they may stay above $3 per gallon until next year.
Gas prices have risen during the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran and Iranian attacks on nearby countries, creating political headwinds for President Donald Trump ahead of the November midterm elections, where his Republican Party will defend slim majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Gas below $3 a gallon "could happen later this year, that might not happen until next year. But prices have likely peaked, and they'll start going down,” he told CNN’s "State of the Union" program. "Certainly with the resolution of this conflict, you’ll see prices go down."
Trump administration officials have offered differing views on how gas prices may shift. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week predicted gas prices would fall to the $3 per gallon range this summer, while Wright on Sunday laid out a lengthier likely timeline to reach that price.
Trump himself has said that gas prices may remain elevated until November.
All of them have said gasoline will eventually get cheaper once the Iran war ends. "Under $3 a gallon is pretty tremendous in inflation-adjusted terms," Wright said. "We'll get back there for sure."
The average price for a gallon of regular gas on Sunday was $4.05, according to an estimate by AAA, compared to $3.16 a year ago.
The U.S. and Iran on Thursday agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, but Trump on Sunday accused Iran of violating it with attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend. U.S. officials will arrive in Pakistan for further negotiations on Monday, Trump wrote in a social media post.
"We're offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran," he posted, revisiting a threat he had made prior to the ceasefire.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Bill Berkrot)
