Washington, United States (Enmaeya News) — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Friday that his department is working closely with the White House National Security Council to monitor developments in the Middle East and assess any potential disruptions to global energy supplies.

Wright made the comments on X, following Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks. He noted that President Donald Trump’s energy strategy—which aims to maximize U.S. oil and gas production while easing pollution regulations—serves to bolster national energy security.

“Iran’s oil and gas sites, despite being a member of OPEC, have not been targeted,” analysts said.

Following the escalation, global oil prices surged by 7% on Friday, closing above $74 per barrel, as investors feared the conflict could widen.

Analysts at ClearView Energy Partners said U.S. gasoline prices could increase by about 20 cents per gallon in the coming days, coinciding with the start of the summer driving season. They noted that such a rise may create economic strain and political challenges for President Donald Trump, who has made reducing energy costs a central theme of his campaign.

ClearView added that the price spike may prompt Trump to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) or urge the OPEC+ alliance to boost output. The situation could also complicate U.S. efforts to tighten sanctions on Russia, one of the world’s top three oil producers.

The U.S. Department of Energy has not responded to questions regarding potential use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is the largest in the world and currently holds about 402.1 million barrels of crude oil.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), said on X that the IEA’s oil security system—including the U.S. strategic reserve—contains more than 1.2 billion barrels of emergency stockpiles.

OPEC, however, criticized Birol’s post, accusing it of spreading “false alarms” and “fueling fear in the market.”