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Page F135From§Eachthe morning edition — 6 November 2026

Gas slides toward $4 a gallon, rebounds the same day Iran claims new attacks on ships.

By RuthThe Money Desk

“As US and Israel Plot Iran Escalation, Regional Powers Scramble to Avert It”, 31 October 2026 (Photo via Truthout — the original report)

As it ran on the front

The Congressional Budget Office priced the Iran war at nearly forty billion dollars in July and called its own number conservative. The Pentagon's own figure, given to Congress on August 13, was just over forty-two billion. Last week the Pentagon's figure was forty-seven point one billion, a rise of five billion dollars in two and a half months with no line items to show for it. That is the war's ledger. The pump runs a separate set of books, and for one Friday this week the two appeared to meet.

Start where the pump's book opens. In August, for the first time ever, AAA recorded gas above four dollars a gallon every day in the month, averaging four-oh-eight, ninety cents higher than the year before. Diesel went further: on September 11 it hit six dollars a gallon, a record, on supply constraints the reporting tied directly to the war. Those were the costs entered against the war. By Friday, gas was on track to fall back below four dollars for the first time since that August run, and the relief was tied in the reporting to hope that the midterms would push Washington and Tehran toward a deal.…

…(cont) The relief did not survive the news cycle that reported it. The same day, Iran claimed new attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf — not a first; an Iranian commercial vessel took a hit near the Strait of Hormuz in September, killing one person. Oil, which had been sliding toward the price that made the four-dollar gas forecast possible, rebounded before the forecast could print.

Run the two books against each other and the gap is not complicated to name. The war's ledger gained five billion dollars the same week the president told Gulf allies it ends after the vote. The pump's ledger gained one good Friday and lost it the same day. Whichever column a five-billion-dollar overrun and a one-day gas rebound both belong in, hon, it is not the column taxpayers get to check. Senators asked the Pentagon weeks ago to itemize the first number. It is November. The itemization has not arrived. Neither, it turns out, has the relief — it checked in on Friday and checked back out before the pump sign finished changing.

“They call it a peace dividend like it's a bonus check, but it's a coupon that expires before you clear the parking lot. Same week the Pentagon finds another five billion in the couch cushions, Iran finds another ship to shoot at, and somehow both bills land on the guy filling his tank. That's not a market correction, that's a toll booth that moves every time you get close to it.”
Sal
“Look, oil goes up, oil goes down, that's called a market, that's basic economics. The President said the war ends after the vote — the vote happened, didn't it? Give the deal time to work before you start running gallons against — did I just say wait on a war that's gotten five billion dollars more expensive in ten weeks? That's not — that's not where I meant to go with that.”
Chip

Earlier in this story

The receipts

· Trump Hammered Over Iran War That Drove Gas Prices Above $4 Per Gallon Every Day in August for First Time Ever from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026

· Iranian ship attacked near Strait of Hormuz: Iranian state media from the morgue, 13 Sep 2026

· Diesel prices reach all-time high of $6 from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026

· If Iran war erupts, Israel may be plotting another ‘Operation Grim Beeper’ style attack: sources from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026

· Trump says Iran war will be put away very soon: "One way or the other" from the morgue, 2 Nov 2026

· Iranian supreme leader vows ‘unrestricted response’ to any US or Israeli strikes from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026

· US, Iran race to revive Qatar talks as Trump weighs new strikes after midterms from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026

· Iran’s president says Iran would return to ceasefire deal if the US does from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026

· Trump admin threatens Iran with 'consequences' as allies convene amid threats of post-election escalation from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026

· Trump and Netanyahu Need to Choose Victory on Iran from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026

· Trump hints at post-midterm strikes on Iran: ‘You’ll see Iran in a couple of weeks’ from the morgue, 28 Oct 2026

· Trump Issues New Mass Murder Threat, Warning Iran of 'Biggest Attack of Them All' from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026

· Trump denies Axios report that he offered Iran sanctions relief from the morgue, 29 Sep 2026

· Trump says Iran war will end 'soon' from the morgue, 31 Oct 2026

· Trump says Iran war will end "soon" as Qatar pushes for U.S.-Iran deal from the morgue, 30 Oct 2026

· Donald Trump claims ‘Iran war will end very soon’ as midterm rallies heat up – US politics live from the morgue, 15 Oct 2026

· Iranian dissident reacts to Trump's promise to either annihilate Iran or make a post-election deal from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026

· Trump floats 'big decision' at UN on whether he'll 'annihilate' Iran or make deal from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026

· Russia’s Lavrov blasts US, Western allies as “warmongers’ in fiery UN tirade from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026

· Russia and China unite against US over Iran and Cuba in UN speeches from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026

· U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026

· The United Nations Security Council has resoundingly rejected a United States bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran. In a Security Council vote, United States only got support from the Dominican from the morgue, 14 Aug 2020

· U.S. Threatens New Economic War on Iran by Targeting China & Tehran's Other Top Trading Partners from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026

· In Defiant UN Speech, Iranian President Says US and Israel Are the Real Terrorists from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026

· Trump slams reporting on removal of his endorsements from GOP candidate's website from the morgue, 27 Sep 2026

· Donalds removes several Trump mentions from campaign website from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026

· GOP hopeful removes ‘Pro-Trump’ mention from campaign slogan in deep-red seat from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026

· Where Trump’s 2026 endorsement record stands after primary season from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026

· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026

· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026

· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026

· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026

· Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are "all just in survival mode" from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Farmer who voted for Trump says "I can't stay in business" amid rising costs from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Massie says he’s convinced enough Republicans to pass Epstein Files II discharge petition from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026

· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026

· Read Thomas Massie’s eight impeachment charges against Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026

· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026

· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026

· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026

· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· UN Suspects US War Crimes in Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026

· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026

· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· US Energy Consumers Have Spent $121 Billion Extra Since Trump Launched Iran War: Moody's from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026

· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026

· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026

· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· Did Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026

· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026

· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026

· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026

· Since 2025, Trump Made More Stock Trades Than All 535 Congress Members Combined from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· Fossil Fuel Advertising Contracts Hit Record High as Big Oil Pockets Billions From Iran War from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026

· Trump's Top Oil Stocks Have Made Him Up to $4.4 Million Richer During Iran War: Analysis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

· 'Trump Did It!': At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High in US Thanks to War on Iran from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026

· Gas prices reach Labor Day high amid Iran war from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026

This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.