The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel in the United States hit an all-time high average price of $5.85 on Friday as the Trump administration's war on Iran and its resulting disruptions to the global energy market showed no signs of ending. "Trump did it! Diesel hits a new record high!" economist Dean Baker wrote sardonically on…
Page F2From§Eachthe early bird edition — 7 September 2026
Trump turns record gas prices from his own war into a pitch to rename the strait after himself.
As it ran on the front
They tell you this is going according to plan, and by Tuesday you can measure the plan in the price of diesel. On August 31st, after Iran's retaliatory strikes, the President promised, "We're going to hit them hard." On September 1st, U.S. Central Command struck what it called IRGC targets near the Strait of Hormuz, and the President warned that any further retaliation would be met "at a much harder and higher level." Iran vowed to hit back. This is what "going according to plan" looks like from the outside.
On September 2nd, with diesel already climbing toward a record nobody campaigned on, the President went to social media to propose a rebrand: "should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be 'hotter' than ever before!" The strait, notably, has no single owner to ask — which is either the reason a president can float renaming it, or the reason the renaming means nothing at all, and both of those are true at the same time.…
…(cont) Two days later the number arrived. On September 4th, the average price of diesel in the United States hit $5.85 a gallon, an all-time high, breaking the record set in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Diesel runs the trucks that run the shelves; freight costs do not stay in the tank. That same day, Vice President Vance told CBS the price could have been "much higher were it not for our efforts" — a defense of a record built entirely from inside the record.
Today, Iran says it will impose an "exclusion zone" to tighten its hold on tanker traffic through the strait, and threatens retaliation against U.S. strikes on its tankers. Gas prices, on the same wire, hit their own record for Labor Day.
So the sequence, in order: strike, threat, strike, rename proposal, record diesel price, "could have been much higher," exclusion zone, record gas price. At no point in that order does the price come back down. At one point in that order the water gets a nickname. The bill does not have a name on it. It has your license plate on it, and it renews every time you fill the tank.
“This is the shakedown with two receipts: you pay $5.85 a gallon for a war he started, and his answer is to slap his own name on the water like it's a casino sign. Vance goes on TV and tells you the record price you're already paying could've been worse — that's not an economic argument, that's a customer being told to be grateful for a discount he never got. The strait doesn't belong to Trump, but the bill sure as hell belongs to you.”
“Look, diesel prices are set by global markets, not the White House — though, sure, we did strike targets near the strait the President then floated renaming after himself, so it's less "market forces" and more an itemized receipt, but that's not — did I say that? That doesn't sound like me. The Vice President's point stands: prices could have been higher. They could always be higher. That's not actually a defense, is it.”
The receipts
Concerns are ramping up over energy costs as the war with Iran drags on and U.S. gas prices hit record highs for Labor Day. CBS News contributor Javier David has more.
A top Iranian official says Tehran will impose an "exclusion zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to tighten its chokehold on tanker traffic.
The Strait of Hormuz remains the primary flashpoint in the conflict.
Iran threatened retaliation against U.S. strikes on Iranian tankers. Meanwhile, concern is growing over energy costs.
Iran on Sunday threatened a "more painful" response to U.S. strikes on three Iranian oil tankers.
· Trump Threatens to Rename Strait of Hormuz for Himself as War Pushes Diesel Prices Toward Record High from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Trump floats renaming Strait of Hormuz after himself from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· U.S. strikes targets in Iran near Strait of Hormuz as Iran says it is retaliating from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Trump vows response to Iran's retaliatory strikes: 'We're going to hit them hard' from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· Trump threatens Iran against retaliation for latest U.S. strikes from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Live updates: US, Iran ramp up strikes; incumbents hold on in Massachusetts from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Diesel prices hit record high as wars disrupt supply from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.