US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated on Friday that reducing fuel costs at the pump will require an agreement with Iran to boost oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Wright spoke during a visit to the Sable Offshore oil and gas site near Santa Barbara, California. The facility resumed operations earlier this year after President Donald Trump invoked the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to override state regulations.

Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum used the event to criticize California's strict environmental rules for contributing to the state's elevated gasoline prices, which remain near $6 per gallon.

The administration stands ready to pursue further measures to ease gas costs in California, Wright noted, and has reached out to Governor Gavin Newsom about supporting the state's refineries after two recent shutdowns.

"The best course is to roll back some of the regulations that have forced the last two to close," he said. "I've certainly tried to engage in a dialog with the governor here to say, why would you sacrifice Californians for no benefit, no environmental benefit, no California economic security benefit?"

Resolution with Iran key to lowering gas prices

When asked how to bring down high gas prices nationwide, Wright pointed to the need for a deal with Iran.

"The pathway to bring gasoline and diesel prices back down is to get more oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz," he said in an interview. "Ultimately that's going to be a resolution with Iran."

He noted that the elevated prices stem from military efforts to address Iran as a nuclear concern.

"We're paying extra, but we're solving a major geopolitical challenge, a major threat to national security, a major threat to that whole region of the world," Wright said. "That's a cost that we're getting something for."

California faces constraints from limited local output and weak links to Gulf Coast refining centers, with no pipelines crossing the Rockies to supply the state.

Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.