**The Oil Crunch: How the Iran War is Fueling America's Pain at the Pump**
Sarah Jenkins pulled up to the gas station in her Ford F-150, hoping to fill up for the long drive back to her hometown in Texas. But as she scanned the prices on the board, her stomach sank. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline had jumped 14% in the past week, soaring to $3.41 on Saturday. For Jenkins, a single mother working two jobs, the sudden increase in gas prices feels like a cruel blow to her already stretched budget.
"It's like the war has finally caught up with us," Jenkins says, reflecting on the growing economic cost of the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. "We were already feeling the strain, but this is like the final straw."
**The Conflict's Crushing Grip on Oil Supplies**
The surge in gas prices is the latest symptom of a global oil supply crisis fueled by the Iran war. The conflict has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway off the coast of Iran through which about 20% of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes. Iranian officials have threatened to target any vessel passing through the strait, forcing tankers to reroute or cancel shipments altogether. The result is a sharp spike in crude oil prices, which have breached $90 a barrel.
"This is a very serious situation," says a spokesperson for the AAA motor club, which tracks gas prices nationwide. "The last time we saw a similar weekly jump in gas prices was back in March 2022, during the Russia/Ukraine conflict."
**A Growing Disruption to Global Trade**
The conflict's impact on global trade is already being felt. Natural gas prices in Europe have risen even more sharply, with prices reaching record highs in recent weeks. The disruptions to oil supplies have also led to a shortage of fuel for industries that rely on it, from power generation to manufacturing.
"I've been in this business for over 20 years, and I've never seen anything like this," says a European energy analyst, who asked not to be named. "The Iran war is creating a perfect storm of supply chain disruptions and price increases that will be felt for months to come."
**A Reversal of Trump's Gas Price Bonanza**
The surge in gas prices is also a stark reversal of President Donald Trump's boasts about keeping gas prices low. In his State of the Union address last month, Trump claimed that his administration had brought gas prices down to below $2.30 a gallon in most states. But with gas prices nearing $3.50 a gallon in some states, the president's promise now looks like little more than a distant memory.
"I don't have any concern about it," Trump told Reuters this week, dismissing concerns about rising prices. "They'll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit."
**What Comes Next?**
As the Iran war continues to disrupt global oil supplies, the question on everyone's mind is what comes next. Will gas prices continue to rise, or will they stabilize once the conflict subsides? And what impact will this have on the economy, already reeling from the effects of the pandemic and rising inflation?
One thing is certain: for millions of Americans like Sarah Jenkins, the pain at the pump is just beginning.
