‘Sort of a kick in the teeth’: Gas prices soar in Washington and Idaho amid Iran war

The United States war with Iran has sent gas prices soaring, particularly in Spokane, where most gas stations have seen spikes by at least $1 per gallon over the past month.

Meanwhile, Washington gas prices trail only California as the most expensive in the nation.

Gas prices hovered around $3.89 at the beginning of this month. The least expensive gas in Spokane on Friday sold for $4.69 a gallon at the Sunset Food Mart, 2627 W. Sunset Blvd.

Spokane’s average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline Monday morning was $4.90 a gallon, according to AAA. Gas prices in Washington typically are more expensive on the West Side of the state than the East Side.

“This is a global jump in the price of gasoline and even more so diesel, which has jumped beyond the $6 a gallon mark in Washington state,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy. “It’s certainly very rare to see these types of impacts, but obviously just a function of the U.S. attacking Iran.”

The two largest impacts on prices at the pump today are the attack on Iran and typical seasonal prices, De Haan said.

“I’d say the increase of about80 cents a gallon is because of the attack and about 15 cents are due to seasonal factors,” De Haan said.

The national average is $3.96 per gallon of gas, up 23 cents from last week and $1.02 from last month, according to AAA. Washington’s average is $5.27 a gallon. A week ago, the state’s average price per gallon of gas was $4.92.

While U.S. presidents don’t directly control gasoline prices, they can have an impact on global supply and demand and international conflict, De Haan said.

“Waging wars like this does push the price up,” De Haan said. “Ultimately, it’s economics that determines prices. A president can really upset that balance of economics, but it’s very rare that he’s going to be the sole determiner of prices.”

And this time, there’s more truth in the voices that blame President Donald Trump for the soaring gas prices, De Haan said. Spikes during Joe Biden’s presidency came after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a return to normalcy after the pandemic, neither of which were directly caused by Biden, De Haan said.

Gas prices soared to record highs in Spokane during 2022, when Biden was president. They hit $5.27 a gallon on June 12 that year and $6.19 a gallon for diesel on July 1, 2022.

De Haan said he would be surprised if Spokane broke records this time.

The highest recorded price for regular unleaded gasoline in Washington was $5.55 on June 16, 2022. Record-breaking diesel prices were recorded at $6.46 on June 30 that year.

Idaho’s average price for a gallon of gasoline is $4.11, 41 cents higher than prices were last week and $1.14 more expensive than a month ago, according to a release from Idaho AAA spokesperson Matthew Conde.

Idaho ranked ninth in the country Monday for the most expensive fuel.

California, Washington and Hawaii have some of the nation’s most expensive gasoline prices.

Boise’s prices are among the highest in Idaho, costing an average of $4.13 a gallon. Coeur d’Alene is not far behind, averaging $4.07 a gallon.

“Higher crude oil costs, largely the result of conflict in the Middle East, drive up the price of the finished products we get from it – including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel,” Conde said. “No matter how you or your packages get from Point A to Point B, it carries a higher price tag these days.”

The cheapest state to fill up is Oklahoma, Conde said, with an average of $3.25 a gallon.

That’s still more than what Danny Negro, of the Silver Valley, paid per gallon in late February at the outbreak of the war with Iran. Expecting the increase, he filled 25 gallons worth of gas cartons on a nearby reservation. The cost was $3.09 per gallon, he said.

Negro is “kind of a hermit,” he said, and doesn’t often leave his seclusion except for doctor appointments once every three months in Spokane.

“I drive a gas vehicle; $4.50 a gallon is whatever. We’ve seen that before,” Negro said. “My issue is the diesel prices. Air cargo is jet fuel, which is diesel. All these trucks on the road delivering our groceries, it’s diesel. Everything imported comes by barge on a diesel container ship.”

Michelle and Pat Smith were on their way home to Arlee, Montana, after a trip around the Olympic Peninsula. As they stopped at an Idaho rest stop to let their dog run, Michelle Smith was dreading what prices awaited them and their Chevy pickup back home.

“Since I kind of live in the country, they’re saying, ‘Maybe you should stay at home a whole lot more,’ ” Michelle Smith said. “And I thought, ‘Gee, well, I might have to do that.’ ”

At one gas station on the coast, Pat Smith said he paid about $99 to fill up his tank. They know others are hurting more, especially in war-torn Iran, they said, but the cost still stings.

“It’s sort of a kick in the teeth, you feel like,” he said.

Further, Pat Smith said he’s concerned for his brother’s farm in eastern Montana. Rising costs of gas and product like fertilizer means he’s spending more to grow the wheat than he can sell it for.

“We’re actually about ready to lose our farm,” he said. “So it hits me as a driver here, it hits the farm people pretty hard, it hits the Trump base pretty hard.”