Since the start of the United States-Israeli war against Iran on Feb. 28, gas prices have climbed at the pump and AHS students are beginning to feel the impact in their daily commutes. 

Gas prices are rising in response to Iran’s retaliation against the U.S. and Israeli air strikes that escalated the conflict. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also took control over naval traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries around 25% of the world’s seaborne oil trade, according to the International Energy Agency. After ongoing tensions, President Trump declared a naval blockade of the Strait on April 12 to prevent ships entering or exiting the passage.

These tensions have contributed to higher gas prices in the U.S. as the global energy markets react to disrupted supply routes. According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), gas prices have risen 30% since the beginning of the war, and the average cost per gallon in Virginia is $4.01 as of April 12. 

Those rising prices are being felt locally in students’ lives, as sophomore Maragret Moreland notes the inconvenience of surging costs.

“Gas prices going up is really annoying because a lot of [the] time, you can’t avoid using a car to get to your [destination], so there is no way to avoid the high prices,” Moreland said. 

Since Moreland shares her car with her sister, coordinating budgets with higher gas prices have been tedious and led her to ask friends to pitch in for gas costs. 

While international conflicts continue to disrupt global oil trade, rising gas prices have become a part of daily budgeting for students like Moreland, who hope for lower transportation costs.