World

Trump is seething over Iran's exploitation of one of his biggest political vulnerabilities as soaring oil prices threaten to undermine his ability to declare victory in the war and devastate his economic messaging ahead of midterms.

While the president attempts to put on a happy face over the military successes in Operation Epic Fury, Iran's deliberate disruption of energy markets has become an acute political headache. The regime is weaponizing oil prices—Trump's most visible economic liability—as a strategic response to the military campaign.

According to Axios, Trump administration officials warn that the conflict could extend indefinitely if Iran successfully throttles the Strait of Hormuz and drives prices beyond Trump's tolerance threshold. "The Iranians f------ around with the Strait makes him more dug in," a senior administration official told Axios, describing a vicious cycle where energy market manipulation only hardens Trump's commitment to prolonging the conflict.

RELATED: Iran is scheming to 'freak Trump out' by going after his 'soft underbelly': expert

Oil has already become Trump's obsession, consuming as much of his attention as battlefield intelligence. A Trump adviser acknowledged the internal tension: "The president sees the briefings. He sees the numbers. And he feels good about his decision, militarily. Oil is another matter. No one is panicking, but it's a concern. He's pulling out the stops. There's plenty of oil. It's just getting it on the market that's the thing."

Trump's preferred price point is $50 per barrel. The oil industry targets around $60. Despite Trump's intervention, crude topped $100 Wednesday night after spiking as high as $120 earlier in the week.

Iran has threatened to push prices to $200 per barrel—a move that would translate to approximately $5 per gallon at U.S. pumps, according to analysts.

Domestically, the war is deeply unpopular. Trump's personal approval ratings are at historic lows, and gas prices—once his signature economic achievement—have become his most visible political liability heading into critical midterm elections.

Two weeks into the war with Iran, President Donald Trump said that he had concluded that high oil prices benefit America.

"The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money," the U.S. President wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday. "BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping [sic] an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. "

President Donald Trump's energy secretary stumbled over his words when CNN's Kate Bolduan challenged him on global oil disruptions caused by the war in Iran.

Oil tankers are unable to pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz due to the threat of Iranian drones, missiles and mines, and the price of oil has surged past $100 a barrel, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright insisted on "CNN News Central" that Americans should be willing to shoulder the burden of higher gas costs.

Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy seemed to tire of President Donald Trump's doublespeak on the Iran conflict and pressed him to define the operation.

"And we did a little excursion. We had to take this little couple of weeks, a few weeks of excursion, but it's been incredible," Trump said while touring a factory in Ohio on Wednesday. "Our military is unbelievable, the job they're doing. I would say, to put it mildly, way ahead of schedule. We've knocked out their Navy, their military in it, all forms. We've knocked out just about everything there is, including their leadership, twice. We knocked out twice their leadership."

President Donald Trump claimed not to know that the U.S. military determined that it was responsible for killing about 150 people in the accidental bombing of an Iranian girls' school.

"Day 11, and as you know, we're doing something that nobody ever thought was possible to do," Trump announced to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday. "Our military is the best, it's the most powerful in the world, and they're hitting them very hard."

One of President Donald Trump's stated objectives for the war in Iran hasn't historically been considered a priority.

The 79-year-old president told Axios in a brief phone interview Wednesday that there is "practically nothing left to target," so he believes the war with Iran would end "soon," but one of the accomplishments he cited might come as a surprise to military officials.