Gasoline prices in Santa Barbara have soared since the beginning of the war in Iran, in line with national and global price surges. On Monday, nine days after the first American and Israeli strikes, prices in Santa Barbara averaged $4.98 per gallon — an increase of 60.5 cents per gallon from the previous week’s average.
Per a report from GasBuddy, the cheapest station in the city sold gas for $4.39 per gallon on Sunday, March 8; the most expensive charged $5.75 per gallon.
The dramatic price increases are the result of Iran’s effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that carries 20 percent of the global crude oil supply. Iran controls the northern side of the chokehold, which is the only passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the open sea. On March 2, Iran declared the strait closed and threatened to attack any ship that attempted to pass, drawing traffic through the normally bustling waterway to a tense standstill. Since then, the nationwide average gasoline price has climbed 51.1 cents per gallon .