Donald Trump has given another timing update on the US-Iran war, as oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has come to a standstill, though some are warning the war could last most of the year. 

The average gas price for a gallon of regular has risen to $3.72, according to AAA, up from $2.93 a month ago. 

Speaking to PBS News on Monday, the President said he called the inflated gas prices ‘a very small price to pay’ and that ‘the oil prices will drop like a rock as soon as it’s over.

‘I don’t believe it will be long,’ he said when asked about how much longer the war will drag on.

But three sources familiar with the matter told Axios that the Middle East could bleed into September, a much longer timeline than Trump has ever discussed publicly. 

It’s dangerous territory for the President with the midterm elections just weeks later. Americans largely oppose the conflict, according to an exclusive Daily Mail/JL Partners poll.

Thirteen US troops have been killed so far in the war, and 200 troops have been injured, including 10 ‘seriously,’ Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said Monday.

Trump first told the Daily Mail in a phone interview that the war could last up to four weeks. Later, he indicated it could last up to five. 

Since then, the President has been cagey on the exact timing of the conflict, not wanting to show his hand to the media ahead of any actions regarding Iran. He has also said the war will last as long as ‘necessary,’ without giving further explanation. 

His flip-flopping messaging on the war comes as Americans express skepticism over the fight and the midterms loom in November as Republicans on Capitol Hill seek to maintain their small majorities. 

‘We are behind the eight ball as far as the electoral process,’ Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky told Fox Business last week. 

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