Gas prices in the Newtown area and across the Philadelphia region climbed Tuesday as military conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran sent crude oil prices surging.
Average gas prices in the five-county Philadelphia region jumped 9 cents between Monday and Tuesday morning, according to AAA data. The spike follows a separate 9-cent increase recorded over the past week.
The average Philadelphia area gas price is $3.11 per gallon and $3.11 per gallon statewide.
Local prices as of Tuesday morning varied by nearly 45 cents.
According to GasBuddy data, the highest price in the Newtown area was $3.19.
The upward trend follows a period where local averages dipped below $3. Prices declined and then remained largely stable after 2022, which is when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed local fuel costs to near-record levels.
“Most Americans will likely see prices increase,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said on Monday.
The fuel market reaction was quick after reports of war in the Middle East.
Crude oil prices, which closed at $65.35 last Friday, rose to $71.23 a barrel by Monday’s closing bell.
Industry analysts expect the ripple effect to reach other sectors, with diesel and jet fuel prices projected to rise over the next week.
While De Haan said he does not anticipate a “major” sustained increase in the coming weeks, he warned that the upcoming seasonal transition to more expensive summer-blend fuel will continue to put pressure on prices at the pump.
Much of the price volatility is being driven by a standstill in oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Credit: U.S. Navy
CNBC reported that ship owners are taking precautionary measures as the conflict intensifies. The strait is considered the world’s key chokepoint for oil.
Energy consulting firm Kpler wrote in a statement that roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil exports passed through the waterway in 2025.
De Haan noted that oil companies are currently practicing risk avoidance due to potential threats from Iran.
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German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported Iranian weapons had struck oil and gas facilities in the Middle East, including sites in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
“Whether the Strait is closed by force or rendered inaccessible by risk avoidance, the impact on flows is largely the same,” Jorge Leon, senior vice president and head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, told the German news agency.
Leon added that without a swift signal of de-escalation, the market should expect a “significant upward repricing of oil.”
