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(Iowa) -- Gas prices have gone up 61 cents a gallon in Iowa compared to a month ago. The increase comes after a spike in the price of crude oil, which hit $119 per barrel on Sunday due to the conflict in Iran.
Triple-A Motor Club says average gas in Iowa is $3.17 a gallon, up from $2.63 a week ago.
Brian Ortner of Triple A Motor Club says in comparison, gas prices in Iowa reached $4.00 a gallon in March of 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. However, he says there's too much uncertainty in the Middle East to predict how high the prices will go this year.
"The announcement last week from OPEC, which was increasing the supply availability in the second quarter of this year. Obviously, the Strait of Hormuz impacts that. But having that news could be a welcome sight for prices as we come into the coming months," Ortner said.
The U.S. military operation in Iran has halted oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to price hikes on gas, plastics and fertilizers.
Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy says diesel fuel is also impacted.
"Diesel prices could rise by 25 to 50 cents (a gallon) during the course of this week. That would put diesel on a trajectory to reach $5.00 a gallon," De Haan said.
Spikes in diesel prices means freight, trucking and shipping companies could use fuel surcharges to pass the increases on to consumers.