'Gas up': concerns over Iran conflict spills over to Guam

While the conflict in the Middle East is thousands of miles away, local politicians weigh in on potential impacts to Guam, from impacts at the pump to broader geopolitical consequences. 

There have been fears expressed that prices at the pump will jump, as Senator Wil Parkinson said, "To all my people of Guam out there, gas up because gas prices are going to climb up because of what’s happening over there". And also uncertainty over transparency, as former Guam congressman Dr. Robert Underwood added, "Congress has to step in. Our own delegate has to step in and make clear where he stands."

Concerns from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East have spilled over to Guam. The conflict began on Saturday with joint United States-Israel attacks on Iran, killing its supreme leader. Iran retaliated against U.S. installations in the Middle East with missiles and drones. 

The U.S. military confirmed six us troops have been killed in action. 

Although the conflict is at halfway across the world, direct impacts could be felt directly here at home, according to Senator Parkinson, who said, "Part of the things happening in the conflict is that the Strait of Hormuz is being blocked. About 40 percent of the world’s oil goes through that strait...we are very sensitive to fluctuation in the LEAC [the Levelized Energy Adjustment Clause] and prices at the gas pump."

Parkinson says he participated in a virtual media briefing hosted by the Council of Foreign Relations, which examined the broader geopolitical consequences of the Iran conflict.  "I’m really concerned on what it’s going to do to Guam’s economy, what it’s going to do to our security situation over here, because again, China has a… plan to attack Taiwan potentially," he said.

"That attack would necessitate an attack on Guam as well. As much as we can get forces to stay here in the Pacific, that’s what I would hope for. I would hope that the President and Congress would prioritize Americans first, and not Iranians first."

Meanwhile, Dr. Underwood, now with the Pacific Center for Island Security, says it’s still unclear whether U.S. military assets in the IndoPacific region may shift to the Middle East. "What it does though is it diverts attention from our part of the world. In a sense, there’s going to be consequences, but we don’t really know what they are," he said.

But with President Donald Trump warning the campaign could last weeks and more troops could be sent to the region, the concern over safety of local service members is real.  "I think all of us in the Guam community and the broader Micronesian community have to be mindful that many of our sons and daughters are put in harm's way as a result of these attacks on Iran," said Underwood.

The former congressman also denounced the lack of congressional authorization, saying, "In this instance, you have an attack on Iran that the American public does not support and which there has been minimal, almost no consultation with Congress. That means President Trump behaves in a way that seems impetuous and seems incoherent."

"That’s not the American way to do it. And it’s not a way to strengthen alliances."

In the meantime, while Joint Region Marianas says there’s no specific threat to this region, installations on Guam have raised its force protection condition from 'Alpha' to 'Bravo' as a precautionary measure.