June 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright

said on Friday that lowering pump prices will ultimately take a

resolution with Iran to get more oil flowing through the Strait

of Hormuz.

Wright made the comments during an appearance at the Sable

Offshore ( SOC ) oil and gas facility near Santa Barbara,

California, which restarted this year after President Donald

Trump invoked the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to

supersede state laws.

Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum used the media

event to blame California's strict environmental policies for

the state's sky-high gasoline prices, which hover around $6 a

gallon.

The administration is prepared to take additional steps

aimed at lowering gas prices in the Golden State, Wright said,

and has sought to engage with California Governor Gavin Newsom

on ways to assist the state's struggling oil refineries

following two recent closures.

"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 dialogue with the governor here

to say, why would you sacrifice Californians for no benefit, no

environmental benefit, no California economic security benefit?"

Asked what it will take to lower soaring gas prices for all

Americans, Wright said it would take 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 added that the higher gas prices were justified by the

military effort to remove Iran as a nuclear threat.

"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 has limited regional production and minimal

connectivity to the Gulf Coast refining hub. There are no

pipelines delivering fuel to California from across the Rocky

Mountains.

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

comment.