Gas again tops $4 per gallon as Iran fighting persists

Drivers can expect https://www.axios.com/2026/03/31/us-gas-price-iran-war" target="_blank">pump shock déjà vu as the national average gas price again climbed over $4 per gallon today, as President https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump https://www.axios.com/2026/07/15/trump-situation-room-iran-bombing" target="_blank">appears poised to escalate the war in Iran.

The big picture: Tanker traffic is https://www.axios.com/2026/07/13/oil-trump-us-iran-blockade-strait-hormuz" target="_blank">once again being https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/business/strait-hormuz-iran-war-oil.html" target="_blank">choked in the Strait of Hormuz after fighting between Iran and the U.S. reignited, with Washington https://www.axios.com/2026/07/13/trump-iran-blockade-strait-hormuz" target="_blank">reinstating a naval blockade that could dramatically escalate tensions.

• Oil prices https://www.axios.com/2026/07/13/oil-trump-us-iran-blockade-strait-hormuz" target="_blank">have risen as the conflict has escalated and the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran https://www.axios.com/2026/07/10/trump-iran-talks-ceasefire-over" target="_blank">unravels.

Driving the news: The national average is now $4.00 a gallon, per AAA.

Catch up quick: Last month, prices slipped back below $4 per gallon, giving some relief following months of pain at the pump.

• As a result, Americans https://www.axios.com/2026/06/26/gas-prices-consumer-confidence" target="_blank">reported feeling better about the economy.

  Majorities of Americans in multiple https://www.reuters.com/world/us/americans-blame-trump-gas-price-surge-midterm-election-year-reutersipsos-poll-2026-04-24/" target="_blank">polls had https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/6-in-10-americans-disapprove-of-how-trump-is-handling-iran-new-poll-finds" target="_blank">blamed https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3956" target="_blank">Trump to some extent for the pump shock.

• While the current average per gallon is below recent https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/22/gas-price-iran-war-strait-hormuz-memorial-day.html" target="_blank">highs, it's up 86 cents year-over-year.

State of play: Trump weighed expanding U.S. military strikes on Iran on Tuesday as he huddled with his team in a Situation Room meeting where they discussed a massive offensive wider in scope than the current bombardments.

• U.S. Central Command has said the recent strikes were in response to Iran's attacks on commercial shipping and aimed to further degrade Tehran's military capabilities.

What we're watching: As the Strait of Hormuz crisis ensnares global markets, countries and companies are scrambling for ways to https://www.axios.com/2026/07/14/oil-hormuz-pipelines-trump" target="_blank">bypass the waterway.

Go deeper: https://www.axios.com/2026/06/25/trump-gas-prices-gallup" target="_blank">Rise in gas prices caused "financial hardship" for two-thirds of households surveyed