HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — Democrats are wielding the Iran war’s gas price spikes as sharp midterm weapons ahead of the November elections.

The conflict has clogged the Strait of Hormuz’s critical oil trade routes, slowing down shipments and raising gas prices at pumps across the U.S. A gallon of gas costs an average of $4.14 a gallon, the highest ever for this time of year, AAA data shows. Diesel’s $5.85 average price tag is the most expensive ever.

Commonly seen as an economic benchmark, the prices are playing into Democratic plans to paint the GOP in a harsh light. Congressional Republicans have enabled Trump’s war, rejecting Democrats’ attempts to restrict it despite public distaste for the conflict.

“$5.84 a gallon for diesel is a new all-time high,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a Friday X post. “Donald Trump and JD Vance own this.”

The administration has dismissed the price spikes, calling them a necessary evil to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“For you to pay a tiny, little bit more for your gasoline, just remember, you’re doing it so that a very evil country cannot have—a country, really, it’s the number one state sponsor of terror in the world. We don’t want to have them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said last month.

Do you have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.