Iran war: How US consumers spent an additional $100bn on fuel

The average US household has spent $763 extra on fuel in six months, as the US-Israel war on Iran pushes up fuel costs across all 50 states.

US consumers have paid an additional $100bn for petrol and diesel in the six months since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28, according to a tracker from Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

Across the country, the added cost works out to roughly $763 per household, based on an estimated 131 million households nationwide.

The war on Iran has been unpopular in the United States, with a majority of Americans blaming President Donald Trump for the rise in fuel prices. Trump has dismissed concerns about rising fuel prices in an interview with Reuters news agency, saying: “If they rise, they rise.” He has instead tried to shift the blame by accusing oil companies of “price gouging”.

Trump claimed that the war would last four to five weeks, but it has entered its sixth month, with no diplomatic breakthrough in sight.

Petrol accounts for the larger share of the cost because Americans use far more of it than diesel. The price of petrol has climbed 39 percent, from about $2.98 to $4.15 a gallon ($0.79 to $1.09 per litre). Diesel has jumped even more sharply, rising more than 60 percent from $3.67 to $5.90 per gallon ($0.97 to $1.56 per litre).

Where are fuel prices highest in the US?

Fuel prices vary significantly by state. Prices are highest on the West Coast, especially in California, where high fuel taxes and carbon pricing programmes were already pushing costs up before the war even started.

According to the American Automobile Association, California has the nation’s highest average petrol price at $5.85 per gallon ($1.55 per litre), followed by Washington state ($5.51), Hawaii ($5.39), Alaska ($5.03) and Oregon ($5.01).

Indiana has the country’s lowest petrol price at an average of $3.43 per gallon ($0.91 per litre).

The map below shows a state-by-state breakdown of petrol prices. Hover over each state to see the percentage increase from before the war to now.

How higher fuel costs drive up the price of food

Oil and gas touch nearly every stage of the food chain, from fertiliser and tractor fuel on farms to refrigeration and insulation in cold storage to plastic packaging and truck fuel for transport.

As oil prices rise, these added costs accumulate at each step: production, storage, packaging and delivery.

By the time food reaches supermarket shelves, those additional costs are passed on to consumers as higher prices.

In lower-income countries, where populations spend a far greater share of their earnings on food and import large quantities of grain and fertiliser, rising oil prices could rapidly translate into food shortages.

由于美以对伊朗的战争推高了美国所有 50 个州的燃油价格，美国家庭平均在过去六个月里额外花费了 763 美元用于燃油。

据布朗大学沃森国际与公共事务研究所的追踪数据显示，自2月28日美以对伊朗开战以来的六个月里，美国消费者在汽油和柴油上的支出增加了1000亿美元。

根据全国约 1.31 亿户家庭的估算，全国范围内，每户家庭增加的成本约为 763 美元。

在美国，对伊朗的战争一直不得人心，大多数美国民众将油价上涨归咎于总统唐纳德·特朗普。特朗普在接受路透社采访时对油价上涨的担忧不以为然，他说：“油价上涨就上涨吧。” 他反而试图将责任推卸给石油公司，指责他们“哄抬物价”。

特朗普声称这场战争将持续四到五周，但战争已经进入第六个月，外交上仍未取得任何突破。

汽油价格在燃油成本中所占比例更大，因为美国人使用汽油的频率远高于柴油。汽油价格上涨了39%，从每加仑约2.98美元涨至4.15美元（每升0.79美元涨至1.09美元）。柴油价格涨幅更大，上涨超过60%，从每加仑3.67美元涨至5.90美元（每升0.97美元涨至1.56美元）。

美国哪里的燃油价格最高？

各州的燃油价格差异显著。西海岸的燃油价格最高，尤其是在加利福尼亚州。早在战争爆发之前，高额的燃油税和碳定价政策就已经推高了燃油成本。

根据美国汽车协会的数据，加利福尼亚州的平均汽油价格为每加仑 5.85 美元（每升 1.55 美元），是全美最高；其次是华盛顿州（5.51 美元）、夏威夷州（5.39 美元）、阿拉斯加州（5.03 美元）和俄勒冈州（5.01 美元）。

印第安纳州的汽油价格是全国最低的，平均每加仑 3.43 美元（每升 0.91 美元）。

下图显示了各州汽油价格的详细情况。将鼠标悬停在每个州上，即可查看从战前到现在的价格涨幅百分比。

燃油成本上涨如何推高食品价格

石油和天然气几乎影响着食品链的每一个环节，从农场的化肥和拖拉机燃料，到冷库的制冷和隔热，再到运输用的塑料包装和卡车燃料。

随着油价上涨，生产、储存、包装和运输的每个环节都会增加这些额外成本。

当食品到达超市货架时，这些额外的成本都会以更高的价格转嫁给消费者。

在低收入国家，人们将收入的很大一部分用于食品，并大量进口粮食和化肥，因此油价上涨可能会迅速导致粮食短缺。