Gas prices in the U.S. crossed the $4 threshold again on Monday, as escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran—amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran war—cast a shadow over global crude oil supply chains. The national average hit $4.003 per gallon, according to AAA data, with California leading the pack at a painful $5.497 per gallon.

GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan called the moment unprecedented. In a post on X, he said 2026 is "the first year ever to reach $4 in two separate surges," pointing to the spring spike and now this one. "That didn't happen in 2008, not in 2022, not ever. Two $4 runs in the same year," he wrote.

The latest surge follows the U.S.-Israeli joint operation that kicked off the Iran war after the country's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in missile strikes. Oil prices have actually eased a bit from recent highs: Brent crude traded at $88.78 per barrel at press time, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $82.39. Shares of the United States Oil Fund (USO) were up 0.32% to $125.91 in overnight trading.

The conflict shows no signs of cooling. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced fresh strikes on Iranian targets, with President Donald Trump saying the strikes were retaliation for U.S. troops killed in missile exchanges. Iran's Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, fired back, accusing the Trump administration of contradicting its own claims about wanting to end the war and of "bringing new military equipment into the region."

For American drivers, the déjà vu at the pump is a painful reminder that geopolitical turmoil has a direct line to their wallets—and this time, history is being rewritten in real time.