NEW YORK (AP) — The average price for a gallon of gasoline jumped 11 cents overnight in the U.S., and some drivers in Europe waited in line to fill their tanks with fuel, as war engulfed the Middle East and shipments of oil and gas were stranded in the Persian Gulf.
A gallon of regular was selling for $3.11 on average in the U.S., according to motor club AAA, surprising some drivers at the pump. Gasoline prices were already rising before the U.S. launched strikes on Iran as refiners switch over to summer blends of fuel. But crude prices rose sharply in recent days because of the war.
Anne Dulske paid $15 more than usual to fill up her tank at a Jackson, Mississippi gas station on Tuesday.
“It’s going to affect everything in our lives,” she said. “It’s very scary, and it does hit closer to home than people think.”
Dulske, who said she had previously noticed gas prices slowly going down, called the increase surprising and said she was caught off guard when she learned the United States and Israel attacked Iran over the weekend.
“We are knee-deep into the gas price increases,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a technology company that helps people find cheap gasoline. DeHaan estimates gasoline price could rise further, but he doubts the price would reach $4 a gallon in the U.S. “Many Americans seem very panicked that prices could hit multiple dollars higher than that, which at this point, I wouldn’t say anything’s impossible, but certainly it’s quite improbable based on the current developments.”
