The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States has climbed back above the politically sensitive $4 mark, reaching $4.0030 on Monday, as the escalating military conflict between Washington and Tehran severely disrupts oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
The surge at the pump is the most direct consumer-facing consequence of a ninth consecutive night of U.S. airstrikes against Iranian military targets and retaliatory attacks that have broadened to include commercial shipping and energy infrastructure in the Gulf. The AAA figure marks a rise of more than 30% since U.S.-Israel military actions against Iran began in late February, underscoring how quickly geopolitical risk is translating into household budget pressure.
Behind the retail price spike, crude oil benchmarks have rallied sharply. Global benchmark Brent crude futures jumped more than 3% on Monday to trade around $91.02 a barrel, the highest level since mid-June, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate advanced 2.65% to $84.68 a barrel. The moves extend a blistering rally that saw Brent climb nearly 16% last week—the largest weekly gain since April—and WTI surge 15.5%, the biggest since early March.