The conflict with Iran is starting to hit Americans where they spend: online sellers and shippers are adding fuel surcharges, and some airlines are raising checked-baggage fees to offset surging jet fuel expenses.
Gasoline averaged about USD 4.09 per gallon on Friday, up more than a dollar from just before the fighting and at its highest level since August 2022, according to the American Automobile Association. Diesel has risen far more sharply, climbing from USD 3.64 per gallon a year ago to USD 5.53 per gallon; diesel fuels agriculture, construction, trucking and other key sectors.
Amazon will apply a 3.5 percent fuel surcharge to third-party sellers beginning April 17. The U.S. Postal Service has asked regulators to approve a temporary 8 percent fuel surcharge on package and express mail deliveries; if approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission it would take effect April 26 and run through January 17, 2027.
Economists and geopolitical analysts warn that if the conflict persists, wider supply-chain disruptions and higher transportation costs will feed into consumer prices. A New York-based geopolitical-risk analyst noted that global markets transmit these shocks widely and that concerns have worsened in recent days. Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, said rising transport costs will work their way into other prices, creating near-term pressure on consumers already strained by affordability concerns.
The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have effectively removed hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from global supply, and market impacts are arriving according to shipping schedules from the Persian Gulf, JPMorgan commodities specialists said. Asia has felt the effects first, with some governments imposing rationing and conservation measures. Europe could face physical shortages by mid-April as the last pre-conflict cargoes are delivered. Shipments to U.S. ports typically take 35 to 45 days from the Strait of Hormuz, so American consumers are likely to see effects later; JPMorgan expects further price increases, and anticipates refined-product shortages in places physically isolated from the national distribution grid, notably California, from late April or May.
The combination of higher fuel prices, added surcharges from major carriers and potential regional shortages underscores how a geopolitical shock in the Middle East can ripple through freight, logistics and household budgets across the United States.
