U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 as fuel prices continue to soar worldwide amid the Iran war, and South Florida drivers are feeling the pain at the pump.
According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 — over a dollar more than before the war began.
In Miami on Tuesday, NBC6 saw a gas station off 42nd Street charging $4.25 a gallon, while another across the street was charging $4.23 – well above the national average.
This is a direct consequence of oil tankers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has essentially shut down the all-important transit route since the war began. Iran targeted energy infrastructure throughout the region, and attacked a fully-loaded oil tanker off Dubai on Tuesday.
The White House said that when the war is over, prices will go down.
“We hear you, we see you. We are fully tracking this short-term fluctuation in oil and in diesel prices,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary.
Until the war ends, and the Strait reopens, the price of oil is expected to surge, causing hardship in a number of American industries.
“At the end of the day, is this a new normal, or is there going to be a correction back to what people were used to?” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The AAA said prices could climb even higher in the coming days, potentially crossing that $4 national average for the first time in years.
