U.S. gas now averages $4.55 a gallon, up more than 50% since the Iran war began, adding pressure on consumers and businesses.
The average price of gas in the United States has climbed to $4.55 a gallon, a jump of more than 50% since the war with Iran began and a fresh strain on consumer spending.
The increase, reported by CBS News, puts fuel costs back at the center of household budgeting at a time when conflict-related disruptions are also pushing up costs for major U.S. companies. The available reporting does not specify how consumers are changing purchases in response, but the size of the fuel-price move underscores why the spike is drawing attention from business analysts and shoppers alike.
The pressure is not limited to gasoline. Aluminum prices on the London Metal Exchange have risen more than 13% since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, CNBC reported. The metal is up about 19% so far in 2026 and has touched its highest levels since 2022.
Those figures describe different markets, not competing readings of the same price move: gasoline is cited as up more than 50% since the war began, while aluminum is cited as up more than 13% since the Feb. 28 strikes. Together, they point to a broader cost shock moving through both consumers’ daily expenses and companies’ supply chains.
CNBC, citing Bernstein analyst Bob Brackett, reported that aluminum prices are being driven higher by the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for aluminum shipments from the Middle East. Brackett estimated that 7% of the world’s aluminum is sourced from the region and said military strikes have damaged facilities and removed about 3% of global supply from the market.
Ford is among the companies watching the commodity closely. Chief Financial Officer Sherry House told analysts that the Iran war has made the automaker’s outlook for aluminum harder to predict, especially because the metal is a key component of its F-150 pickup truck. Ford had expected commodity headwinds to top $2 billion, roughly double its prior estimate, due largely to higher aluminum costs.
Molson Coors also reported a hit from the metal’s rise. Finance chief Tracey Joubert said higher aluminum costs in the U.S. Midwest added about $30 million to the company’s cost of goods sold in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, and the company expects further inflation in the current quarter. Keurig Dr Pepper finance chief Anthony DiSilvestro also listed aluminum among products that have increased in price because of the Iran war.
Near-term relief is uncertain. UBS now expects aluminum supply to grow just 0.3% in 2026, down from a previous estimate of 2.4%, citing Middle East disruption and limited room for capacity increases in Europe. For consumers, the most immediate confirmed pressure point remains the national gas average of $4.55 a gallon; for companies, the next test is how long elevated input costs persist.
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