War on the Homefront: Why Your Gas is More Expensive

As the United States continues operations in Iran, passing the one-week mark, the effects of the war on the world are starting to take shape. Obviously, this includes the servicemen and women who have been killed over the last week and the increased military tension everywhere, but this is chiefly seen by the average American in something all too familiar: your gas price just shot up

The reason for this is not that the United States can no longer buy

oil from Iran because of the war. The U.S. has not been buying oil from Iran since the 1980s and has levied heavy sanctions against them. Instead, this is due to a strategic oil-shipping “chokepoint” called the Strait of Hormuz. This strait is a narrow channel of water between Iran in the north and the United Arab Emirates in the south. With the war raging in Iran, this allows Iran to put pressure on the attacking nations by threatening to, and actually shooting missiles at, oil tankers trying to go through the strait. Because of this threat, the insurance companies that insure the oil tankers have essentially shut down the strait out of fear, even though the United States Navy has offered to guarantee the tankers with armed escorts through.

Oil refineries, petroleum fields and cities in the Arabian Basin. City markers are scaled with the number of inhabitants as denoted in the legend. Source: Harvard WorldMap Project (https://worldmap.harvard.edu/maps/6718/dJT, last access: 25 March 2019).Oil refineries, petroleum fields and cities in the Arabian Basin. City markers are scaled with the number of inhabitants as denoted in the legend. Source: Harvard WorldMap Project (https://worldmap.harvard.edu/maps/6718/dJT, last access: 25 March 2019).

Right around 20% of the world’s oil is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. The reason for this is the geographic position of the oil fields surrounding the Persian Gulf that are pumped by the Gulf countries. There is a pipeline, “the Petroline,” that flows from the east of Saudi Arabia to the west and avoids the strait, but this is not capable of compensating for the loss of this shipping lane.

The price of gas is rising because the global supply of oil just dropped. With this, the average price of crude oil per barrel has gone from around $65 to $90. The Trump administration has expressed a plan to combat this basic effect of supply and demand, but these efforts have yet to materialize in any measurable way. This has national gas prices to surge over 50 cents per gallon in some places with prices well over $5 per gallon in California. Although California is the extreme due to their other regulations and import practices, this is just indicative of the national trend.

Affordability is starting to become a major factor in who I vote for, and this gas price hike is starting to feel like another in a long string of punches to the face.

This problem is being worked on by top officials throughout our country, and we will wrap up this problem as soon as it is possible. We are doing everything we can to mitigate effect of this necessary war.

Who ends up being another victim of an unnecessary war? The American people. Lied to again with nothing to show for it. And what will happen when this war is over? Oh, Nothing for the American people. As always.

Just more ammunition for the midterm. Add it to the list. I'd be shocked at this point if they get anyone to turn up to vote... I mean, THIS IS HORRIBLE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!