Table of Contents
Wright’s Timeline: “Certainly” in Weeks
Energy Secretary Chris Wright offered the most definitive timeline yet from a Trump administration official regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran, stating Sunday that the war “will certainly come to an end in the next few weeks” .
In interviews across multiple Sunday news programs, Wright provided a consistent message about the expected duration of hostilities that began on February 28 .
Wright described the ongoing military campaign as a “short-term disruption to the flow of energy,” acknowledging that Americans are “feeling it right now” and will continue to feel elevated prices “for a few more weeks” .
Gas Price Outlook: Relief After Conflict
Wright addressed the sharp rise in gasoline prices since the war began, with the national average jumping from $2.94 on March 1 to $3.70 by Saturday, according to GasBuddy . He offered Americans a path to relief once hostilities conclude.
“After the conflict is over, you’ll start to see prices come back down,” Wright said on NBC . He noted there’s a “very good chance” gas prices could drop below $3 per gallon before summer, though he cautioned that “there’s no guarantees in war. The time frame’s still not entirely clear” .
Wright framed the current disruption as a necessary cost, telling NBC: “At the end, we will have removed the greatest risk to global energy supplies. We’ll go to a world more abundant in energy, more affordable in energy, and less risky for American soldiers and commerce in the Middle East” .
Strait of Hormuz: The Critical Bottleneck
The energy secretary offered a blunt assessment of the strategic waterway at the center of the conflict. Asked whether the Strait of Hormuz was safe for shipping, Wright responded directly: “No, it is not” .
Iran’s effective closure of the strait—through which approximately 20% of global oil passes—has sent crude prices soaring above $100 per barrel and disrupted global energy markets . Wright described Iran as “the greatest threat to global energy supplies,” justifying the administration’s military approach despite immediate market disruptions .
He dismissed Iranian warnings that oil prices could reach $200 per barrel, telling NBC: “I would pay no attention to what Iran says” .
International Response and Contingency Plans
Wright said the administration expects China to be “a constructive partner” in working to reopen the strait, noting that “opening the Straits of Hormuz is even more important for China than it is for the United States” .
President Trump indicated Saturday that nations receiving oil through the strait should assume greater responsibility for securing the passage, suggesting that countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom would “hopefully” be deploying warships to the region .
The U.S. has already taken several steps to mitigate price impacts:
- Strategic Petroleum Reserve release: 172 million barrels as part of a 400-million-barrel coordinated international release
- Sanctions waiver: Lifted some sanctions on Russian crude to help ease prices
- California production: Ordered restart of Sable Offshore’s Santa Ynez Unit, capable of producing 50,000 barrels per day
The administration is also considering waiving the Jones Act to allow foreign vessels to transport fuel between U.S. ports .
Political Pushback and Skepticism
Wright faced criticism from multiple quarters following his optimistic timeline.
From Democrats:
California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed federal orders to restart offshore production, stating: “This is an attempt to illegally restart a pipeline whose operators are facing criminal charges and prohibited by multiple court orders from restarting. California will not stand by while the Trump administration attempts to sacrifice our coastal communities” .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned whether the administration adequately planned for Iran’s closure of the strait. Wright fired back, calling Schumer “either being ridiculously naive or he’s simply being disingenuous, which is more likely. Everyone knows the issue with the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, meticulous planning went into what might happen” .
From Skeptics:
Former Congressman Jim Moran described Wright’s view as overly optimistic, warning that facts on the ground indicate the conflict might extend for an additional two or three months. He warned of a “logistical nightmare” in the Strait of Hormuz, where 46 oil tankers remain stranded and unable to move due to fears of naval mines .
What Comes Next
Wright expressed confidence that shipping through the strategic waterway would resume once Iran’s military capabilities were sufficiently degraded. “Hopefully, in the next few weeks, we will see ship traffic returning to the Straits. The world is going back to normalcy” .
He framed the campaign as ultimately stabilizing for global energy markets. “This will be a different world on the other side of this,” Wright said .
However, Politico noted that even after the war ends, it’s “unlikely prices will snap back to where they stood before the U.S. and Israel began bombarding Iran” . The White House believes it can withstand heightened oil prices for up to four weeks, but the political and economic stakes remain high with November’s midterm elections approaching .
