Republican congressional candidate Ritesh Tandon told NDTV World that President Donald Trump’s Iran war had raised fuel costs as California diesel averaged $8.242 per gallon in the week of Oct. 19, compared with $6.276 nationally, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
“He has really done a lot of damage by starting the war with Iran,” Tandon said in the interview, published Oct. 24. NDTV also reported that he linked higher diesel costs to rising merchandise prices and pressure on households living paycheck to paycheck.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said the all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% over the 12 months through September, up from 3.4% over the year through August. Although the all-items index added 0.6% from August, gasoline provided more than half of that gain after its index rose 9.1%, the BLS said. The release did not measure what portion of September’s inflation was caused by the Iran war.
Brent futures began July at $72 a barrel and topped $100 by July 23, according to an Oct. 5 EIA market review. The agency linked third-quarter oil-market movements to renewed military strikes in the Middle East and cited Strait of Hormuz flows and other supply risks as sources of volatility.
The EIA also described U.S. distillate supplies as tight. Inventories were 13% below their 2021–2025 average for the week ending Sept. 25, with high exports to markets facing shortages and refinery disruptions in Russia, China and the Middle East contributing to supply pressure.
The Federal Election Commission lists Tandon as a Republican candidate in California’s 17th Congressional District. House records identify Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna as the district’s representative, and the California Secretary of State lists the general election for Nov. 3. NDTV reported that Tandon said he would seek to stop the war and control inflation if elected. The EIA’s next gasoline and diesel price update is scheduled for Oct. 27.
