AI-generated illustration

US President Donald Trump said at a White House event marking Columbus Day that Iran can no longer acquire nuclear weapons, insisting the United States had ended that capacity. He predicted that the conflict with Iran would be over very soon and declared that Washington had won it.

Speaking ahead of the November 3 congressional midterm elections, Trump linked the expected end of the war to a sharp drop in US fuel prices, saying gasoline would quickly return to levels near $1.95 per gallon. He also promised a major announcement on diesel without giving details. According to the American Automobile Association, the average diesel price reached a record $6.53 per gallon on September 22 and stood at $6.28 on October 9.

Trump additionally backed the decision to execute by firing squad Nidal Hasan, the man convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, calling him "a complete lunatic." On October 5, he signed measures allowing off-road red-dyed diesel temporarily on public roads and deferring its federal excise tax, while G7 leaders agreed on October 2 to release 100 million barrels of oil reserves over four months under International Energy Agency coordination.

Key Takeaways

• Trump said Iran's nuclear weapons capability has been eliminated and the war will end soon.
• He predicted US gasoline prices would fall back to around $1.95 per gallon and teased a diesel announcement.
• AAA data showed average diesel prices at $6.28 per gallon on October 9, down from a record $6.53 in September.