Diesel price hits all-time high in US amid Iran war woes

Price of gasoline also sets new record for Labor Day weekend ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.

Gas and diesel prices at a fuel station in Mount Prospect, Illinois, September 3, 2026 [Nam Y Huh/AP Photo]

The price of diesel in the United States has reached a record high of $5.85 per gallon (3.9 liters) amid the war with Iran, despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claim that the US is in control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The new record for the national average price, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), was set on Friday, surpassing the previous peak that was recorded in June 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

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Diesel – which is mostly refined from crude oil in the US – is used to power heavy machinery, buses, trains and large trucks. The price hike is expected to increase the transportation and production costs of many products, including groceries.

The new record came weeks ahead of the congressional midterm elections in November as Trump’s Republican Party pushes to retain control of the US Senate and US House of Representatives.

Public opinion polls have shown that the war with Iran remains unpopular with US voters, and the cost of living has emerged as a top electoral issue across the country.

The price of gasoline has also continued to rise in recent days, reaching $4.14 on Friday ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend in the US.

The price is a record high for this time of the year.

“Labor Day weekend travelers are facing the highest gas prices ever for this time of year,” AAA said in a report on Friday. “Continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude oil prices in the $90 per barrel range. After a record-setting August, this Labor Day weekend is on track to also set a record at the pump. The national average has never been above $4 per gallon on Labor Day.”

A gallon of gasoline was less than $3 before the Trump administration joined Israel in starting the war on Iran .

Tehran responded to the opening US and Israeli strikes in February by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz – a major artery for the global energy trade – sending oil and gas prices soaring.

In recent weeks, Trump and his allies have been arguing that the US military is now in control of the waterway and overseeing the passage of millions of barrels of oil through it.

Trump shared a social media post on Thursday claiming that 18 million barrels of oil are passing through the strait daily, nearly the same amount as the pre-war levels.

US Vice President JD Vance reiterated the same message on Thursday, telling reporters that Iran’s control over Hormuz is “effectively gone”.

“If you go back three months ago, how much oil and gas was coming out of the strait under Iranian threats? It was virtually nothing. Now, it’s almost back to where it was before the conflict even started,” Vance said.

It is difficult to verify the amount of oil passing through the strait because the tankers crossing under US protection turn off their transponders to go undetected by Iranian forces.

Iran, however, has accused the US administration of trying to manipulate the market, insisting that Hormuz is still under Tehran’s control.

Suspected Iranian strikes on ships in the strait have continued almost daily. Earlier this week, an attack on a Saudi tanker killed two sailors .

On Wednesday, the US president suggested renaming Hormuz the Trump Strait . He also previously said the waterway would become an American territory.

在11月关键的中期选举前夕，汽油价格在劳动节周末也创下新纪录。

2026年9月3日，伊利诺伊州芒特普罗斯佩克特一家加油站的汽油和柴油价格 [Nam Y Huh/AP Photo]

尽管美国总统唐纳德·特朗普一再声称美国控制着霍尔木兹海峡，但在与伊朗的战争期间，美国柴油价格已达到每加仑（3.9升）5.85美元的历史新高。

据美国汽车协会 (AAA) 称，全国平均房价于周五创下新纪录，超过了 2022 年 6 月俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后创下的前一个峰值。

伊朗战争：为何美国中期选举可能成为关键时刻（共3个列表，第1个）

韩国考虑在霍尔木兹海峡做出“贡献”（共3项，此为第2项）

列表 3（共 3 项）“世事难料”：范斯对伊朗婚礼袭击的评论如何符合美国模式

柴油主要由美国原油提炼而成，用于驱动重型机械、公共汽车、火车和大型卡车。预计此次价格上涨将增加包括食品杂货在内的许多产品的运输和生产成本。

在11月国会中期选举前几周，特朗普所在的共和党正努力保住对美国参议院和众议院的控制权，这一新纪录也随之诞生。

民意调查显示，美国选民对伊朗战争仍然不买账，生活成本已成为全国范围内最重要的选举议题。

近几日，汽油价格也持续上涨，在即将到来的美国劳动节长周末前夕，周五汽油价格达到每加仑 4.14 美元。

这个价格创下了往年同期最高纪录。

美国汽车协会（AAA）周五发布的一份报告称：“劳动节周末出行的旅客将面临有史以来同期最高的汽油价格。霍尔木兹海峡持续的油价波动已将原油价格推高至每桶90美元左右。继8月份创下纪录之后，今年的劳动节周末汽油价格有望再创新高。劳动节当天的全国平均汽油价格从未超过每加仑4美元。”

在特朗普政府与以色列联手发动对伊朗战争之前，一加仑汽油的价格不到 3 美元。

2 月，美国和以色列发动空袭后，德黑兰采取了封锁霍尔木兹海峡（全球能源贸易的主要通道）的回应措施，导致石油和天然气价格飙升。

最近几周，特朗普及其盟友一直声称，美国军方现在控制着这条水道，并监督着数百万桶石油通过该水道的运输。

特朗普周四在社交媒体上发帖称，每天有 1800 万桶石油通过该海峡，几乎与战前水平相同。

美国副总统万斯周四重申了这一信息，他告诉记者，伊朗对霍尔木兹海峡的控制“实际上已经消失了”。

“如果你回顾三个月前，在伊朗的威胁下，有多少石油和天然气从霍尔木兹海峡开采出来？几乎没有。现在，开采量几乎恢复到了冲突爆发前的水平，”万斯说。

由于在美国保护下通过海峡的油轮会关闭应答器以避免被伊朗军队发现，因此很难核实通过海峡的石油数量。

然而，伊朗指责美国政府试图操纵市场，并坚称霍尔木兹港仍在德黑兰的控制之下。

疑似伊朗对霍尔木兹海峡船只的袭击几乎每天都在继续。本周早些时候，一艘沙特油轮遭到袭击，造成两名船员死亡。

周三，美国总统提议将霍尔木兹海峡更名为特朗普海峡。他此前还曾表示，该水道将成为美国领土。