Investor Ross Gerber criticized President Donald Trump over the Iran war, saying rising oil prices and borrowing costs could increase political pressure on the administration as the conflict continues. In a post on X dated August 18, 2026, Gerber said a "guy with bone spurs" had "no business starting a war," referring to Trump’s medical exemption from military service during the Vietnam War after a diagnosis of bone spurs. Gerber said Iran knows Trump has "no support" for the war going into an election and argued that stocks did not "want any part" of it. He also said Trump could not reach a deal to "win" the war during his presidency. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.85% to $85.66 a barrel and Brent crude gained 0.83% to $91.71, while the United States Oil Fund rose 1.11% to $132.13 in premarket trading. The national average gasoline price reached $4.0860 a gallon, with prices averaging above $5 in California, Washington and Hawaii. Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaee, mocked Trump’s claim over the Strait of Hormuz, while Energy Secretary Chris Wright said oil was moving through the waterway with U.S. military escorts and that 30 vessels had been helped through the area.