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7-Eleven sits on South Collins Street on March 28 in Arlington. The national average gas prices rose about $1 since February, according to the American Automobile Association.<\/p>\n
Photo by Samarie Goffney<\/a><\/p>\n Gas prices across the country are rising as the U.S. continues its war with Iran, leaving students \u2014 many of whom already pay an abundance of collegiate fees \u2014 with more financial pressure amid an uncertain economy. <\/p>\n In February, the U.S. and Israel coordinated a series of strikes across Iran, killing the nation\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and prompting retaliatory attacks against U.S. bases in the Middle East, according to the Associated Press. <\/p>\n The ensuing war has limited oil production, hiking gasoline prices across the country. The national average gasoline price has spiked by about $1 since last month, reaching $4.140 as of April 7, with Texas sitting at $3.844, according to AAA motor club. The increase marked the first time in four years that the national average exceeded $4.<\/p>\n UTA has a large body of commuting students, many of whom have been impacted by the price hikes.<\/p>\n \u201cThese gas prices are just insane,\u201d said Abimelec Sanchez, a supply chain management junior who commutes from Carrollton, Texas, in a Ford F-150. <\/p>\n Sanchez, who has to drive to Mesquite, Texas, when visiting his girlfriend, said he realized how bad the prices were getting when it cost him around $82 to fill up his truck. <\/p>\n Sanchez said he is trying to pay off school, and the heightened fuel prices are only making it harder to manage his finances. <\/p>\n \u201cIt’s hard to drive less,\u201d he said. \u201cEventually, we have to just suck it up, and yeah, I guess keep on with our routines.\u201d <\/p>\n Mathematics doctoral student David Cruz wasn\u2019t happy when he saw the prices climb, but said he is not making a conscious effort to drive less. Cruz said the impact will likely weigh the most on first-generation students. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to hurt for a little bit, but hopefully they [gasoline prices] go back down,\u201d Cruz said. <\/p>\n Prices at the pump are made up of several variables, which interact in a cause-and-effect manner. The biggest factor is crude oil, which accounts for at least half of gas pricing, AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster said. Other contributors include refining, processing, distribution and marketing prices. <\/p>\n As the global economy faces repercussions amid tensions in the Middle East, many analysts fear that the saying that gas prices rise fast and fall slow will prove true. <\/p>\n While the U.S. doesn\u2019t directly purchase crude oil from the Middle East, Armbruster said it is a globally traded commodity, so supply disruptions can impact international markets \u2014 causing U.S. gas prices to fluctuate. <\/p>\n In an interview with Politico, Mike Sommers, American Petroleum Institute CEO, said the only way to improve oil prices is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint at the Persian Gulf which accounts for roughly 20% of global petroleum liquid flow, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. <\/p>\n The strait has faced closures since February, when the war in Iran began. <\/p>\n \u201cOtherwise [if the strait remains closed], you\u2019re going to continue to see rising prices across the country,\u201d Sommers said, \u201cnot just here in the United States, but the real effect you\u2019re really seeing is in both Europe and Asia, where a lot of this oil is flowing.\u201d <\/p>\n On Tuesday, the U.S. struck military targets on Kharg Island, an Iranian oil hub, after President Donald Trump made threats contingent on the nation reopening the strait, according to the Associated Press. Trump set an April 6 deadline for the reopening on Truth Social in late March. <\/p>\n Pumps for regular, mid-grade and super premium unleaded gas display prices March 28 on South Collins Street in Arlington. The prices remain high due to the Iran conflict.<\/p>\n![\"visualization\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775609832_172_thumbnail.jpeg\")
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