U.S. Diesel Hits an All-Time Record Above $6 a Gallon as the Iran War and Red Sea Threats Squeeze Fuel Supplies
The national average price of diesel crossed $6 a gallon for the first time on record, reaching about $6.06 according to AAA, as the Iran war and new threats to Red Sea shipping tightened refined-fuel supplies.
Diesel has jumped roughly 60 percent since the United States and Israel launched major operations against Iran in late February. A year earlier the average sat near $3.70. California prices approached $8 in some areas.
Brent crude briefly topped $110 a barrel before easing; U.S. crude hovered near or above $100 earlier in the week.
Diesel powers the trucks, trains, farm equipment, and construction machinery that move almost everything Americans buy.
Analysts warned the increase will feed through the supply chain into food, consumer goods, and inflation at a time when overall U.S. inflation remains elevated. Inventories of diesel were already well below the five-year average. Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries added another layer of tightness.
The Houthi capture of Perim Island and control of more of Yemen’s Red Sea coast intensified the scare. With Hormuz already constrained, a second major corridor coming under greater Iran-aligned influence raised the risk of longer, costlier disruptions.
Truckers, farmers, and freight companies are absorbing the hit first. Consumers will feel it next. The record diesel price turned an already controversial war into an immediate kitchen-table issue on the same day the country was commemorating 9/11.
