At a gas station in Los Angeles, Ryder Thomas filled his pickup truck, watching the cost tick up to $130 for a full tank, $30 more than he was paying before the US and Israel attacked Iran.
This week, pump prices in the United States climbed to their highest level since early 2022, when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered a global surge in the cost of oil.
Hostilities in the Middle East have crimped supply, sending the price of crude surging.
The war launched by President Donald Trump is unpopular all over the United States, with polls showing a clear majority disapprove of a conflict whose aims they think are unclear.
Thomas worries about the domino effect this oil crunch will have on everything else he buys, as the rising cost of transport pushes up the prices of everyday goods like food and clothing.
California gas prices have risen above $6 a gallon, compared with around $4.50 a gallon before the war.
