The Iran War: 10 Regions Where Gas Is Rising Bigger Now
As the war between Iran and the US and Israel escalates, oil prices rise around the world, leading to higher fuel costs.
In the US, gas prices have already increased between 1% and 14% in the past week, depending on the state, Denton Cinquegrana, senior oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said in an email.
Soon, drivers everywhere will feel the impact.
“This is a general wave that lifts all boats,” Cinquegrana said about whether certain parts of the US will see larger gas price increases than others. “California is always going to be the place to look for the risk of disproportionate inflation. But right now it seems to be every state.”
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California leads the nation in having the highest gas prices, although the war in the Middle East is part of the reason. The average price of a gallon of regular gas is $4.74 in the Golden State, up 10.2 cents from last week, according to AAA data.
That compares to a national average for all states of $3.20 per gallon, up from $2.98 last week (an increase of 22.3 cents).
The 10 states with the highest gas prices right now
Here are the 10 states where drivers pay the most for gas — along with the week-to-week increase in the price per gallon, according to AAA:
- California: $4.74 per liter (+10.2 cents)
- In Hawaii: $4.42 (+1.2 cents)
- Washington: $4.41 (+5 cents)
- Oregon: $3.99 (+6.7 cents)
- Nevada: $3.83 (+1.3 cents)
- Alaska: $3.67 (+8.7 cents)
- In Arizona: $3.49 (+22.1 cents)
- Illinois: $3.32 (+28.7 cents)
- In Pennsylvania: $3.30 (+17 cents)
- In Michigan: $3.24 (+24.1 cents)
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How much will the price of gas go up because of the Iran war?
For American drivers, the sudden increase in gas prices may bring back memories of 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine and gas prices skyrocketed. A similar spike due to the war in Iran is unlikely, although the events of the country and their impact on oil prices are difficult to predict.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that “the Navy will begin escorting tankers to the Strait of Hormuz” if necessary. That strait connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and about 20% of the world’s oil flows through it.
Traffic on the road has dropped to half of normal levels. According to the The Wall Street Journalmore than 3,000 ships are currently idle in the Persian Gulf, waiting to pass.
With oil-producing countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait targeted in the escalating conflict, oil prices rose to more than $81 per barrel of Brent. That’s an increase of just over $10 from last week.
Crude oil makes up about 47% of that drivers pay for gas in the US As a general rule, gas prices typically move about 25 cents for a $10 swing in the price of oil.
If the conflict drags on — or if Iran shuts down the struggle for a reasonable amount of time — Americans could be in for a tough time at the pump, experts warn. Even before last week’s events, gasoline prices were expected to rise this spring due to seasonal factors, including increased demand and the annual shift to summer gasoline. So if you see a reasonable price at the gas station this week, it’s not a bad idea to fill up the tank.
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