Politics
Gas prices are up 50 percent since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Diesel is up 71 percent and hitting new all-time highs daily. One-third of the world oil supply is disrupted. Congress never declared war. The IEA calls it the largest supply disruption in history.
NewsOnScale Staff
September 20, 2026
The national average price of regular gasoline in the United States reached $4.48 per gallon as of September 20 2026 — up from $3.18 one year ago and up 50 percent since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.
Diesel fuel registered new daily all-time highs beginning when it first breached $6 per gallon in early September. The national average diesel price was $6.44 per gallon as of September 18 — up 71 percent since the start of the Iran war. At least six states now have average gas prices above $5. California leads the nation at $6.11 per gallon.
The IEA has characterized the disruption as the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
What Caused This
The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 2026. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz the same day. The Strait carries approximately 20 percent of the world's total petroleum production on a normal day. Iran has reopened it twice briefly and closed it again. As of today it remains effectively closed to normal oil tanker traffic.
The Houthis — backed by Iran — have taken control of a key port along the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, through which another 12 percent of the world's oil passes. Between the two straits approximately one-third of the world's oil supply is being slowed or cut off.
Brent crude oil peaked at approximately $118 per barrel in late March. It fell to around $70 by July 1, then rebounded above $100 by late July and has fluctuated between $87 and $97 through August. As of this week Brent hovers near $96 per barrel.
HSBC analysts warned this week that if diplomacy fails and Hormuz flows stay near current levels, inventories could draw toward operational lows and Brent could rise to around $120 per barrel.
What Americans Are Paying
Every American who drives a vehicle has been paying for the Iran war at the pump since March. The 50 percent increase in gas prices since February 28 — and the 71 percent increase in diesel — is a direct and documented consequence of a conflict that Congress never declared, never authorized, and has voted three times to end through non-binding resolutions the administration has ignored.
Shipping conglomerate CMA CGM announced this week it was imposing a new emergency fuel surcharge citing the renewed escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb. Rising diesel prices translate directly into higher costs for consumers through wholesale price increases for getting goods to retailers and grocery stores.
What Trump Said
For months the Trump administration claimed that fuel prices would drop sharply as soon as the war was over. More recently the president has begun conceding that it may take time for prices to normalize even after the conflict ends.
An NBC News poll published today shows just 17 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy. Forty-four days before the midterms the economy — driven by gas prices and Fed rate hikes — is the defining issue for voters.
The Constitutional Connection
The 2026 Iran war fuel crisis is the largest documented economic consequence of an undeclared war in American history. No Congress declared this war. No Congress authorized the military operations. The House voted three times to end it. The Senate has not voted at all.
Every American paying $4.48 for a gallon of regular gas today is paying for a decision made without a congressional vote — the exact kind of unilateral executive military action the Founders designed Article I Section 8 to prevent.
DISCLOSURE: NewsOnScale is an independent media publication owned and operated by AMILLI AI CORP. JJ Johnson is the founder of AMILLI AI CORP and a declared candidate for President of the United States in 2028. All facts in this article are drawn from NBC News, Al Jazeera, Deseret News, The Hill, Wikipedia's 2026 Iran war fuel crisis documentation, and AAA gas price data.