US drivers face soaring petrol costs and budget strain, with a customer saying ‘we are paying the price’ of the war
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAgence France-PressePublished: 4:00pm, 1 Apr 2026At a petrol station in the Washington suburbs, drivers confronted the harsh domestic repercussions of the war on Iran, as spiking fuel prices hit household budgets hard.
Jeanne Williams, 83, had just driven 160km from Richmond, Virginia, where she was visiting her elder sister.
“That is horrible,” she said, stunned by the prices visible on the Liberty petrol station’s LED board.
“I’m not angry. I’m just bewildered, confused, unhappy,” she said. “Because we didn’t ask for the war.”
On Tuesday, the average US price of a gallon (3.78 litres) of regular petrol crossed the psychological barrier of US$4, having increased 35 per cent since the US-Israeli strikes that launched the conflict, according to data from the AAA motor club.
The station where Williams stopped is situated along a busy road in the city of Falls Church, nestled between an Anglican church, an auto repair shop and a dentist’s office.
