Ted Lieu calls Kevin Hassett an 'idiot' over suggestion to build pipelines through Red Sea

California Representative Ted Lieu slammed National Economic Council (NEC) Director Kevin Hassett on X on Friday for proposing building pipelines to the Red Sea in case the Strait of Hormuz remained closed for an extended period. Hassett's comments had come during an interview on CNBC, in which he also said that the U.S. had ample resources to take care of itself for the time being. Lieu, however, called him an "idiot" for suggesting an ambitious solution to a potential crisis.

"Do you know how long it would take to build an oil pipeline to the Red Sea? YEARS. And that’s with no one shooting at you or launching drones at you," Lieu wrote. The California Senator shared a subsequent post of economist Steve Hanke, who argued that U.S. reserves of oil might run out by this summer. "When is the Straight of Hormuz going to open? Have we won in Iran yet?" he asked of the White House.

According to a CNN report, a peace deal between Washington and Tehran may depend on whether President Donald Trump agrees to release $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets. "The negotiations are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock," Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said. "The ball is in Trump's court." Tehran has demanded $12 billion in frozen assets once an interim agreement is signed and another $12 billion on a later date. 

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, downplayed the conflict during a public event. "It's really not much of a war. But it's a military conflict. It's practice," he said. However, the pressure of the war is being felt in the country every day, as the national average price of gasoline stood at $4.241 per gallon on Thursday, as per Fox News. A swift end to the conflict and opening of the Strait of Hormuz may alleviate some of the financial strain on Americans.

The White House remains confident that the issue will be resolved shortly, and the price of gasoline will come down significantly soon after. "President Trump remains laser-focused on keeping the American people safe, lowering costs for working families, and making our country greater than ever before," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. "The President and his energy team anticipated short-term market disruptions, communicated them openly to the American people, and implemented an aggressive plan to mitigate any impacts."