American drivers hoping for relief at the pump have been handed a harsh reality: the earliest they can expect petrol below £2.39 ($3) per gallon is 2032, and that is only if everything breaks in their favour. What began as a regional conflict has now become a long-term cost of living crisis, with experts warning that the pain at the pump is effectively locked in for years to come.
The US–Israel war against Iran, which began in late February 2026 with joint military strikes on Iranian targets, has inflicted damage on the global energy supply chain that experts say cannot be undone quickly. More than 80 energy facilities across the region have been struck, according to Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), and more than a third of them are severely damaged. The consequences are now baked into oil futures markets, and American motorists are bearing the full weight of them.
