The Iran war has rattled the global flow of oil, with steeper fuel costs already straining households worldwide. And in the U.S., drivers are now facing the highest prices they’ve seen at the pump in nearly two and a half years.

According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped to $3.79 on Tuesday, up from $2.98 consumers were paying before the U.S. and Israel launched the war with joint attacks against Iran on Feb. 28. The last time gas prices were as expensive as they are now was in October 2023.

“It’s pretty hard. I mean, times are tough for everybody right now,” Amanda Acosta, a Louisiana resident, told The Associated Press while filling up her car’s tank this week. “I’m getting way less gas and paying way more money.”

She isn’t alone. Pain at the pump has been one of the most immediate economic impacts of the conflict, because the price of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has soared and swung rapidly in recent weeks, due to supply chain disruptions and cuts from major producers across the Middle East. Brent crude, the international standard, settled at over $103 a barrel on Tuesday, up from roughly $70 just weeks ago. And benchmark U.S. crude topped $96 a barrel.

Many eyes are on the White House. Before the war, President Donald Trump once bragged about keeping gas prices low. But he’s since pivoted to try and paint high oil prices as a positive outcome for the U.S. Last week, Trump said that because the U.S. is now largest crude producer in the world, “when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.”

Companies that supply oil benefit from higher prices. But steeper costs always pinch consumers’ wallets — and today’s rising prices arrive as many households continue to face wider cost of living strains. It could also push up already stubborn inflation, at least in the short run, and potentially hammer the economy more significantly if steep costs drag on. Experts say that that could apply more pressure on the Trump administration, particularly as affordability continues to stay at the top of voters’ minds.

“I just want all of it to end. I just want to get out of there, out of Iran,” said Meghan Adamoli, a New Jersey resident who was among customers filling up at a Multani station on Tuesday.

Dan Bradley, a flatbed truck driver from Pennsylvania, said he’s felt the rising prices for both his work and personal vehicles. Beyond regular gasoline, the U.S. average for diesel topped $5 a gallon on Tuesday, per AAA, up from about $3.76 before the conflict started.

“It sucks when you’re filling up,” said Bradley. “What are you going to do, not get gas?”