Gas returns to $4 as U.S.-Iran fighting pushes oil higher
AAA data showed the national gas average crossing $4 again, while diesel hit $5.11 and crude prices climbed amid renewed U.S.-Iran fighting.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
Gas is back over the $4 line in the United States, with AAA data showing the national average at $4.003 a gallon on Monday.
That marks the first time in more than a month that the national figure has crossed $4, according to AAA data cited by CBS News. The number is a nationwide average, so drivers in some states are seeing prices above that mark while others are paying less.
Diesel is running much hotter. AAA put the national diesel average at $5.11 a gallon on Monday, a price that matters beyond the pump because trucks move groceries and other goods across the country.
Iran war keeps pressure on oil
The price rise comes as the U.S. and Iran have launched further attacks, CBS News reported, and as fighting between the two countries has intensified.
CBS News reported that oil and gas prices are moving higher while the two sides compete for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for global energy shipments.
Oil prices, which feed into retail fuel costs, have climbed since early July, according to CBS News’ energy tracker. On Monday, Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 3.2% to $90.95 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude rose 2.8% to $84.04 a barrel.
Earlier tracker data through July 17 showed West Texas Intermediate at $82.38 a barrel and Brent at $88.03, according to CBS News data sourced to OilPrice.com.
Prices climbed, cooled, then rose again
CBS News reported that gasoline prices rose after the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, reaching a recent high of $4.56 a gallon in May.
Prices then began easing as negotiations between the U.S. and Iran advanced. The two sides reached an interim deal in June, according to CBS News.
That relief has now been dented by renewed fighting and higher crude prices. AAA data for July 20, 2026, showed regular gasoline at about $4 nationwide, flat from the day before, a month earlier and a year earlier in the tracker snapshot cited by CBS News.
Fuel costs hit households and politics
The move back above $4 comes as the U.S. midterm elections approach, and CBS News reported that higher pump prices are likely to weigh on voters.
A Gallup poll released last month found that two-thirds of Americans surveyed said fuel costs have caused financial hardship for their household.
For drivers, the math remains immediate: every rise in crude can show up at the corner station, while diesel prices can ripple into the cost of goods moved by truck.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.