DOMINANT ANGLE
The United States is factoring in the cost at the pump of its own campaign against Iran, between record diesel and a Saudi pipeline out of service.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Diesel has reached a record national average of $6.23 per gallon on Monday and gasoline $4.32, according to AAA cited by Fox News
- 02
The East-West Saudi pipeline, which carried 2.6 to 4 million barrels/day, was damaged by a drone and could remain out of service for three to five weeks (Fox News)
- 03
The meeting scheduled in Oman between Iran and the Gulf States on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has been postponed at the request of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain having already announced its absence (NPR)
ANALYSIS
The United States, September 16, 2026. The American press is measuring the crisis in the Strait of Ormuz less in diplomatic terms than in terms of the national energy bill. According to the AAA, cited by Fox News, diesel reached a record national average of $6.23 per gallon on Monday, while regular gasoline was at $4.32. Brent crude rose to around $110 per barrel on Monday, before falling back to $107.03 on Tuesday, according to CNBC, which also reported WTI at $102.91.
The immediate cause: a drone fired from Iraq damaged the Saudi East-West pipeline, a bypass route for the strait that carried between 2.6 and 4 million barrels per day to the Red Sea. Riyadh has shut it down; repairs could immobilize it for three to five weeks, according to Fox News. Meanwhile, Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have taken the port of Mokha and then the islands of Grande and Petite Hanish, tightening their grip on Bab el-Mandeb, the alternative Saudi route, reports ABC News.
The coalition led by Riyadh says it has counted 13 civilians injured on Monday after a wave of Houthi ballistic missiles and drones, according to Al Jazeera cited by CNBC. A Houthi official claims that Saudi strikes killed three people, including two children, in the province of Taiz - a toll that AP says it cannot verify independently. Human Rights Watch also accuses the Houthis of possible war crimes for their attacks on commercial ships.
On the diplomatic front, the meeting scheduled in Oman between Iran and the Gulf States on the reopening of the strait has been postponed at the request of Saudi Arabia, NPR reports; Bahrain had already announced its absence. The Gulf, notes NPR, sees itself as an economic collateral victim of the conflict, while Washington does not appear to have a plan to end it.
On the military front, Iran claims to have destroyed an advanced American drone over Ormuz. The US Central Command denies the Iranian version that the tanker El Gaia hit a mine, stating that it was hit by an Iranian missile last month. Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington could pursue its campaign and take control of Iranian oil.
