Vice President JD Vance said at a White House briefing on Thursday, September 3, 2026 that he couldn’t say when gasoline would return to $3 a gallon, blaming Iran’s attacks on commercial ships for keeping energy prices elevated. The national average was $4.12 a gallon the day before, according to AAA, after renewed strikes in the Iran war.
Vance credited US military efforts to protect shipping with preventing a global energy crisis, saying about 15 million barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz the previous day despite the attacks. He said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had only said $3 gas “maybe” could happen by Labor Day, given how unpredictable energy prices are.
It was the White House’s first press briefing in 42 days, after press secretary Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August.
Sources: KMPH.
