Arabic version: ارتفاع أسعار الوقود قبل انتخابات التجديد النصفي يوم الثلاثاء

According to Cnbc, gasoline and diesel prices are forecast to be the highest ever for an election day as voters prepare to cast ballots Tuesday. President Donald Trump had promised during his 2024 campaign to cut energy prices in half or more within 12 months and bring gasoline below $2 a gallon.

The national average gasoline price stood at $4.20 a gallon Friday, nearly 40% above the same period last year, GasBuddy petroleum analysis head Patrick De Haan said. Diesel, which is important for transportation and agriculture, had risen about 70% over the past year to $6.32 a gallon. In the 2022 midterm elections, retail gasoline prices were $3.80, according to AAA data.

Fuel prices rose after Trump joined Israel in an attack on Iran on Feb. 28, followed by Iranian strikes on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the report said. Exports through the route have rebounded since the summer with U.S. military assistance, but Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian refineries and Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries have added to disruptions. Brent crude was up more than 13% in October, while West Texas Intermediate rose 15%.

High diesel costs have increased political pressure in farm states including Iowa, where the Senate race has become competitive. Trump considered a diesel export ban, then decided against it because it might raise gasoline prices. He instead allowed truckers to use tax-exempt offroad diesel on highways, announced an $8 billion farmer relief program and reached an agreement for Russia to export about 6 million barrels of diesel through November. Analysts said those volumes would not meaningfully affect prices.