Gas prices hit $4 mark as US death toll ticks up in Iran War

WASHINGTON —

Gas prices once again hit the $4 per gallon mark on Monday morning, an unwelcome milestone as the American death toll in the war with Iran ticked up to 17 this weekend.

In brief remarks on Sunday night, President Donald Trump mourned the loss of those service members but showed no signs of slowing down his escalating military campaign.

“We feel very badly, but you know, those great people, those great patriots who are out there fighting so that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran has been very, very badly damaged. They’ve lost everything, almost, militarily,” Trump told reporters.

Earlier Sunday, U.S. Central Command announced another American service member was killed in Iraq during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone.

At least two other U.S. troops were killed following Iranian attacks in Jordan on Friday. CENTCOM identified those troops on Monday morning as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.

Another service member in Jordan was reported missing, but officials said Sunday that unidentified remains were being examined.

Those deaths come as U.S. forces unleashed attacks for a ninth consecutive night aimed at diminishing Iran’s ability to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM.

Despite the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade, Tehran is still attempting to assert control of the crucial oil shipping route off its coast, while launching wide-ranging attacks against U.S.-allied countries in the region.

The feud over the Strait has collapsed the ceasefire, slowed shipping traffic and caused a surge in global fuel prices.

The national average for a regular gallon of gasoline officially passed the $4 mark on Monday morning, up from $3.87 one week ago, according to AAA.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the Trump administration remains open to diplomacy, but he also insisted that Iran needs to change its behavior.

“As long as Iran insists on controlling an international waterway, we’re going to have to respond to that,” Rubio said. “I think we’re always open to diplomacy. It has to be real. It has to be a deal that they’re willing to live by.”

Iran has also accused the US of violating an interim deal that aimed to end the fighting.

“Americans keep bringing new military equipment to the region and claim they’re after stopping the war,” wrote Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a social media post on Monday. “We’ve reached the stage of mastery in recognizing these American games, and on that basis, we’ve prepared ourselves. Actions must confirm claims, not contradict them.”

Trump previously said he would escalate his bombing campaign this week by taking out Iran’s bridges and power plants.

There have already been reports of damage to Iranian bridges, water plants, and electric facilities in recent days. CENTCOM did not explicitly address those attacks in recent press releases and declined to comment on Saturday when asked to confirm them.

Iran has also hit civilian infrastructure throughout the region, raising concerns about potential war crimes.

International humanitarian law generally protects this infrastructure from attack, but there is some gray area if those sites are used for military purposes. In such cases, attacks must be proportionate and minimize harm to civilians.