WASHINGTON — U.S. gas prices climbed to a national average of $3.32 a gallon this week as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran pushed oil above $90 and tightened fuel markets nationwide, deepening pressure on households and businesses. The jump accelerated as crude traders priced in supply disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and refiners absorbed higher costs, March 7, 2026.
AAA’s national average put regular gasoline at $3.320 a gallon as of March 6, while Reuters reported Friday that the weekly jump topped 10%, lifting gasoline to its highest level since September 2024 and diesel to $4.33 a gallon. Parts of the Midwest and South have been hit especially hard, with Georgia, Indiana and West Virginia among the states posting week-over-week gains of more than 40 cents.
Why gas prices are jumping so fast
Analysts told Reuters earlier this week that the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for more than 20% of global oil supply, has become the market’s main fear as traders weigh the risk of prolonged disruptions. That matters because higher crude costs usually hit wholesale gasoline first and retail prices soon after.
The squeeze is no longer only a futures story. U.S. Gulf Coast heavy crude grades have been bid up sharply as buyers replace lost Middle Eastern barrels, with Mars sour trading at its highest premium to West Texas Intermediate since 2020 and Brent settling at $92.69 a barrel Friday. At the same time, the Energy Information Administration’s latest weekly update showed U.S. regular gasoline averaged $3.015 on March 2, before the sharpest escalation, underscoring how fast pump prices have moved in just a few days.
Spring usually brings a lift in pump prices as demand rises and refiners switch to more expensive summer-blend gasoline. This time, that seasonal pattern is colliding with war risk, making the increase feel sharper for commuters and raising the odds of broader price pressure on freight, groceries and other goods moved by diesel.
How today’s gas prices compare with earlier shocks
This is not the first time motorists have watched geopolitics move straight to the pump. The U.S. average first broke above $5 a gallon in June 2022, jumped after attacks on Saudi oil facilities in September 2019, and Brent briefly moved above $89 in April 2024 as Middle East tensions flared. The difference now is that the latest surge is arriving with spring demand building and with U.S. refiners also facing a tighter market for heavy crude.
What gas prices could do next
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told Reuters the national average could climb toward $3.50 to $3.70 a gallon in the coming days if oil keeps rising and supply disruptions persist. A quicker easing in Gulf flows would not erase the recent jump overnight, but it would slow the next round of increases before the busiest summer driving weeks arrive.
For consumers, the immediate effect is simple: the oil shock is back in the inflation conversation, and drivers are feeling it almost immediately at the pump.
