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Wright Calls Higher Gas Prices Temporary in ABC News Interview on Iran

March 6, 2026 · U.S. Department of Energy · 0:06:48

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ABC News that higher energy costs during the Iran conflict would be brief and temporary, describing a 47-year conflict he said would come to an end within weeks, according to the Department of Energy’s upload of the March 5, 2026 interview. The host noted the national average gas price had reached $3.26, up 28 cents in a week, according to GasBuddy figures cited in the segment.

Wright said the U.S. military was focused on degrading Iran’s ability to strike its neighbors — rockets, launchers and drones — and that ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would flow before long, though he gave no specific timeline for naval escorts. He said the administration planned to backstop or reinsure existing commercial insurance markets for shipping when the time came, but that physical security was the immediate issue.

Wright said he had spoken with President Trump about oil costs, describing the President as passionate about bringing prices down, and he argued the prior administration had driven electricity prices up 30 percent without increasing production. He predicted energy prices would fall back after the conflict and face continued downward pressure afterward.

Why it matters

The interview is an early-war statement of the administration’s price message — pain measured in weeks, an escort and insurance backstop to come — delivered as pump prices were rising, as Wright framed it.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Wright Joins ABC News - March 5, 2026”, 2026-03-06 (official upload, embedded above; published 2026-03-06). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.