U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer held a press conference in Ontario County on Monday to discuss the war in Iran’s impact on fuel costs.
The average cost of a regular gallon of gas in New York state is currently $4.46, according to AAA.
According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline on Monday is $4.46 — 35 cents higher than a week ago.
Gas prices are likely to continue their bumpy ride amid ongoing conflict over the Strait of Hormuz, experts say. Despite President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States will guide ships through the Iran-controlled waterway that has effectively been closed for more than nine weeks, oil prices across the U.S. jumped early Monday on conflicting reports of an Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel.
“As Trump continues his reckless war of choice in Iran, families here in the Rochester-Finger Lakes are paying the price at the gas pump and beyond,” Schumer said in a statement.
Schumer said he will continue to force voting in Congress to end the war.
“We will continue to force votes on our War Powers Resolution week after week after week to show the American people what side their representatives are on,” Schumer said.
Consumers are paying for the Iran war’s disruption of global energy production as the conflict enters its third month. Steeper gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices are making driving and air travel more expensive.
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, keeping them pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide, while a U.S. Navy blockade is preventing Iran from selling its own oil. Prices surged overnight on worries that the war will affect the flow of crude for a long time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.