Convenience Big Store: How the Iran conflict is pushing up Texas oil prices

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American support for President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran is already significantly lower than it was for past U.S. conflicts at their outset. A Marist poll conducted from March 2-4 found 56% of Americans opposed the military action, and three other high-quality surveys taken after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran found the majority of Americans disapproved of the attacks.

In contrast, 92% of Americans supported former President George W. Bush's move to put troops on the ground in Afghanistan; 82% supported the decision to enter the Gulf War; and 75% supported the U.S.'s intervention in the Korean War, per the New York Times.

Now, the politics of the conflict could become even more tenuous for Trump as gas prices rise across the U.S.– including in Texas. A map from my colleagues Taylor Nichols and Peter Warren shows the average regular gas price in Houston rose by about 50 cents from the first week since the war started through this Monday, March 9. Diesel rose by $1 in that period.

The last time prices jumped this high was when the Ukraine-Russia War escalated in 2022.

These increases come as oil shipments through the important Strait of Hormuz from Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have "all but stopped" due to worries about Iranian attacks, the Associated Press reported. And prices could continue to rise through the summer if the conflict continues, Ed Hirs, energy fellow at the University of Houston, told Warren.

To track the prices as they change, check out the map here.

Bayliss Wagner, State Politics Reporter

bayliss.wagner@express-news.net

Who's Up, Who's Down

A daily stock market-style report on key players in Texas politics.

Up: Texas oil companies.

The price of crude jumped more than 30% in the days following the start of the U.S. and Israel's war in Iran, easing pressure on Texas oil and gas producers suffering after nearly a year of suffocatingly low prices. Prices could fall significantly after the conflict resolves, but the moment is still "a nice breath of fresh air" for Texas oil companies, energy reporter Rachel Nostrant reports.

Down: Corpus Christi.

Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening a state takeover of the coastal Texas city after officials said that without significant rainfall, the city will soon face a "water emergency" within months and could run out of water entirely by next year. He says the Democratic-led city brought the crisis on itself. ""We can only give them a little time more before the state of Texas has to take over and micromanage that city and run that city to make sure that every resident who goes to the water tap and turns it on," Abbott said at a campaign rally Tuesday. Austin bureau reporter Ben Wermund has the story.

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.

Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter

jeremy.wallace@houstonchronicle.com

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