US drivers see gas prices jump to highest level since 2023 as the Iran war drags on

The Iran war has rattled the global flow of oil, with steeper fuel costs already straining households worldwide

NEW YORK -- The Iran war has rattled the global flow of oil, with steeper fuel costs already straining households worldwide. And in the U.S., drivers are now facing the highest prices they've seen at the pump in nearly two and a half years.

According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped to $3.79 on Tuesday, up from $2.98 consumers were paying before the U.S. and Israel launched the war with joint attacks against Iran on Feb. 28. The last time gas prices were as expensive as they are now was in October 2023.

“It’s pretty hard. I mean, times are tough for everybody right now," Amanda Acosta, a Louisiana resident, told The Associated Press while filling up her car's tank this week. “I’m getting way less gas and paying way more money.”

She isn't alone. Pain at the pump has been one of the most immediate economic impacts of the conflict, because the price of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has soared and swung rapidly in recent weeks, due to ongoing supply chain disruptions and cuts from major producers across the Middle East. Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at over $102 a barrel on Tuesday, up from roughly $70 just weeks ago. And benchmark U.S. crude is now going for nearly $96 a barrel.

Many eyes are on the White House. Before the war, President Donald Trump once bragged about keeping gas prices low. But he's since pivoted to try and paint high oil prices as a positive outcome for the U.S. In a post on his social media site last week, Trump said that, because the U.S. is now largest crude producer in the world, “when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.”