Iran's Parliament Speaker Says U.S. Fuel Prices Likely to Surge

(MENAFN) Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf issued a stark warning to American consumers Sunday, suggesting that fuel costs at the pump are poised to climb even higher as the confrontation between Washington and Tehran continues to escalate.

"Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called 'blockade,' soon you'll be nostalgic for $4-$5 gas," Qalibaf wrote in a post on X, the US social media platform. He accompanied the message with a screenshot showing gasoline prices at stations near the White House ranging between approximately $4.10 and $5.80 per gallon.

The post appeared to be a direct response to remarks made earlier Sunday by President Donald Trump, who acknowledged on a news channel that elevated fuel prices may persist deep into the election cycle. "It could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same," Trump said.

Qalibaf's warning landed just ahead of a major escalatory announcement: US Central Command confirmed it would begin enforcing a full blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports, effective Monday.

The move followed the collapse of the latest round of Iran-US negotiations in Islamabad, where Pakistan-mediated talks spanning multiple rounds of discussions and proposal exchanges failed to yield a breakthrough. Both sides departed the Pakistani capital with core disagreements unresolved, each signaling that further diplomatic engagement would be necessary.

The Islamabad negotiations were conducted under the terms of a fragile two-week ceasefire — part of broader international efforts to bring an end to the US-Israeli war on Iran, a conflict that first erupted on February 28.

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