6 Months Of Trump Iran War Lies, In 7 Charts

By Team Zeteo Photos: Wikimedia Commons Donald Trump has had a lot to say about his war on Iran – contradictions, broken promises, genocidal ramblings – and he wants you to believe the war is a triumph, that it’s making the U.S. safer and richer. But the statistics tell an entirely different story. So we crunched the numbers behind seven of Trump’s biggest claims about the ever-dragging, Israel-backed, illegal war on Iran. Here they are, debunked! 1. ‘Four weeks’? What the numbers say: It’s been a little bit longer than that. 2. Gas prices are ‘not very high What Trump said: “Well, they’re not very high.” – Trump to a press gaggle, April 16, 2026 What the numbers say: source According to the EIA, in February, before the war began, the average U.S. gas price was just above $3 a gallon. By the summer, the weekly average price was over 30% higher, at more than $4 a gallon, peaking during May at about $4.60. Trump’s current weekly average is more than a dollar higher than the $3.12 average at the end of Joe Biden’s term. 3. Hormuz is ‘open’ What Trump said: “The Hormuz Strait is open and operating.” – Trump via Truth Social, August 18, 2026 What the numbers say: source No matter how badly Trump wishes it were, the Strait of Hormuz is not exactly “open.” The pivotal waterway, responsible for more than one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments, has been effectively closed since Trump launched the war. According to the World Trade Organization, the weekly average of ships moving out of the Strait, particularly carrying oil, natural gas, or fertilizer, is still in the single digits. On some days, no ships pass through at all. Before the war, roughly 130 ships passed through the Strait each day. Trump says “all water mines have been removed,” but oil companies and ship operators still won’t risk sending tankers through a waterway where Iranian drones and missiles can target them easily. 4. More ammunition than ‘we could ever use’ What Trump said: “We have a lot of ammunition, different types… I mean more than we could ever use, no matter what.” – Trump aboard Air Force One, July 27, 2026 What the numbers say: source (CSIS) source (NYT) The U.S. only produces so much ammunition in a year, and many key missiles can take up to multiple years to manufacture and deliver, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The U.S. produces just 79 Tomahawk missiles a year, while the New York Times reported that Trump has used over 1,000. The war on Iran has depleted key munitions so severely that it is now alarming U.S. allies, the Washington Post reports. Sources in the White House told Zeteo that the US has used over 90% of its long-range precision missiles, while CSIS estimates that the military may have expended more than half of its prewar inventory of some key missiles. CSIS says the Pentagon has enough ammunition to sustain the war. But there’s a serious tradeoff: For years to come, the U.S. may not have the capacity to respond to a conflict with China, North Korea, or Russia. 5. Americans support the war? What Trump said: “Americans aren’t against the war… That just came out loud and clear in a poll.” – Trump to reporters, July 22, 2026 What the numbers say: source Most Americans are, in fact, against the war – and public approval rate has dipped to its lowest level yet, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Six months in, just 31% of Americans approve of U.S. strikes on Iran, down from 34% earlier this month and 37% in March. Not to mention that the poll also finds that President Trump’s approval rating remains at its record low, at 33%. It’s certainly “loud and clear.” 6. ‘Peace in the Middle East’? What Trump said: “For the first time in 3,000 years, we are finally going to have peace in the Middle East.” – Trump at the Great American State Fair, June 24, 2026 What the numbers say: Trump, “the peace president,” the “no new wars” guy, Mr. Nobel Peace Prize, has dragged at least ten Middle Eastern countries into his illegal war. The U.S. attacked Iran-backed militias in Iraq, and Iran fired back at U.S. installations in Jordan, and bombed U.S. allies and bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. And most recently, Trump even threatened to bomb Oman, a longtime U.S. mediator. At this rate, Trump may want to give the Middle East another 3,000 years. 7. ‘We won!’ What Trump said: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.” – Trump to CBS News, March 9, 2026 What the numbers say: Trump has said that the war is over, or is about to be over, again and again – like here, here, here, and here. We counted at least 10! Turns out, the war didn’t end any of those times. Maybe if he keeps saying it, it’ll finally happen. Not six months in, apparently – but someday. Zeteo’s Layla Nayfeh contributed to this piece.