Sen. Rand Paul made a stop in Louisville for a meeting with UPS Airlines on Monday, amid a potential end to the U.S.-Iran War. Paul said he was optimistic about news over the weekend that the war with Iran might soon turn to lasting peace.

Fuel Costs and the Iran War

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the cost of jet fuel has increased by more than 40% since the start of the war with Iran. While the price has dropped from a high in March, the increase has prompted major airline operators like UPS to adjust. In recent months, UPS has offset jet fuel costs by upping its fuel surcharges on shippers.

Paul says the fuel costs were brought up in discussions with leaders of UPS Airlines in a meeting at the cargo airline’s headquarters in northeast Louisville. Paul said he was optimistic about news over the weekend that the war with Iran might soon turn to lasting peace.

“The sooner we can get back to certainty, opening the Strait of Hormuz, the sooner we can get back to peace, I think is better,” Paul said. “I’m hopeful that President (Donald) Trump and the peace agreement will be accepted.”

Short-Term Solutions

Some estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration indicate it could take months for the Strait of Hormuz to return to pre-conflict shipping levels, meaning significant reductions in fuel costs could still take time. When asked about short-term solutions to keep fuel costs down, the senator pushed back against calls for the suspension of the federal gas tax.

Paul worries that suspending the gas tax will lead to less revenue needed to fund road projects, contributing to a higher budget deficit. “I don’t like high taxes,” Paul said. “But if you get rid of them, you’d probably have to suspend road repairs and road production.”

Paul said ending the war is what will bring a more lasting solution. “Let’s go to the root cause, the root cause is the war,” Paul said. “Let’s get the war over as soon as possible.”

Original reporting: WLKY Louisville — read the source article.