FRENSO, Calif. (KFSN) — Gas prices across the country have increased in the past week and are expected to climb even more after the recent joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n
“We are predicting a 10-30 cent per gallon increase on gasoline prices starting as early as today but no later than Wednesday,” GasBuddy Petroleum Analyst, Matt McClain explained.<\/p>\n
Tensions in the Middle East have historically played a role in the price of gas here in the U.S. as the region ships nearly 20% of the world’s oil through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
“At this point, what it looks like is that there are a lot of tankers that have dropped anchor on either end of the Strait of Hormuz and simply not getting oil through,” McClain stated.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Live updates on Iran War<\/a><\/p>\n GasBuddy experts say that hold up is driving volatility in gas prices.<\/p>\n According to it’s website<\/a>, the national average price per gallon is $2.94, up around 5 cents from last week.<\/p>\n Wholesalers in the central valley, like Scott Cain, are feeling the pressure.<\/p>\n “If I’m seeing 30-40 cent price fluctuations in a day, that’s eventually what the customer is going to see as well,” West Hills Oil president Scott Cain said.<\/p>\n GasBuddy’s live gas price tracker<\/a> showing changing prices throughout the day Monday, but as of the afternoon, it revealed Californians pay the highest average price per gallon at $4.60 and Fresno County customers pay an average of $4.49 a gallon…that’s up 10 cents from the day before.<\/p>\n “It’s a big impact in my pocket and everyone else’s pocket,” commuter Rafael said.<\/p>\n He commutes from Bakersfield, filling up in southeast Fresno, where a gallon of gas costs $4.31.<\/p>\n “I still have to work it’s really expensive, but I still need to move around and put gas,” Rafael added.<\/p>\n With uncertainty around the conflict in the Middle East, experts believe gas prices will remain volatile in the coming days to weeks.<\/p>\n For news and weather updates, follow Tiffany Olin on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n