WATCH: Rubio says the U.S. is ‘more insulated’ from rising gas prices than other countries
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday downplayed the increase in U.S. gas prices as a result of the war on Iran.
Rubio said the U.S. is more insulated from high gas prices than other countries that rely more heavily on the Strait of Hormuz for oil. He acknowledged “that’s not welcome news to Americans that are paying more at the pump.”
However, Rubio argued that the U.S. military actions against Iran were justified because “if Iran had a nuclear weapon, and they decided to close the straits and make our gas prices like $9 a gallon or $8 a gallon, we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because they have a nuclear weapon.”
Rubio’s comments during a White House press briefing came a day after the U.S. announced the launch of Project Freedom, a new effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping traffic.
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