A major barometer for how many Americans feel about the economy is fuel prices. Rising prices at the pump can squeeze an already tight budget.

Oil prices fluctuated sharply in Q2 2025 as markets reacted to U.S. tariff announcements and a brief Israel-Iran conflict.

For years, the West has oscillated between deterrence and diplomacy. The June war and the economic aftershocks that followed offer a third way: erosion.