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The magic number in Dallas on Monday was $3.19.
Dozens of gas stations across the city seemed to settle on that price per gallon over the weekend, after gas prices jumped in response to the conflict in Iran. On average, most North Texans are likely looking at a nearly 60-cent-per-gallon increase compared to just a week ago, AAA Texas reports.
The military conflict in the Middle East has put pressure on the fossil fuel supply chain, causing the price of crude oil to surge. On Monday, barrel prices rose to nearly $120 — the highest price since COVID-era uncertainty spiked costs — before sinking just below $100 as President Donald Trump signaled the potential winding down of the United States’ involvement in Iran.
A narrow waterway just south of Iran is largely responsible for the upheaval in the oil market. More than 20% of the world’s oil supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz, NBC News reports, but the conflict has almost completely closed the passageway off to shipping.
As he was pumping gas at an East Dallas station on Monday, J.R. Smith told us he’d followed the international news over the weekend, but found it difficult to truly comprehend how the rising price of crude oil may affect his pocketbook. Abstract measurements like barrel prices felt “not real,” he said. But the higher cost of filling his tank at the start of the week certainly brought things into reality.
“It really adds up fast,” Smith said. “And it’s really nerve-wracking.”
Smith is concerned that prices will continue to increase, putting a strain on his weekly budget. He said sacrificing certain types of meals — eating out at restaurants and pricey snacks — will be the first thing he changes if he needs to find some extra cash.
Posting to Truth Social on Sunday, Trump suggested that the trickle-down effect high oil prices have on gas is a “short-term” problem that is “a very small price to pay” for a victory in Iran. For some Dallasites, though, a 60-cent-per-gallon increase could be significant. Last Fall, NBC 5 found that reported debt and evictions in Dallas County have increased, suggesting that North Texas families are struggling to keep up with their bills even before unexpected price changes.
Still, not everyone in Dallas faced sticker shock at the pump. Several people told us that they felt their cost-per-tank appeared normal, and that they hadn’t heard of global conflict disrupting crude oil prices.
“You’ve got to get it no matter how much it is,” said Jissel Lopez while pumping gas at an Oak Cliff 7-Eleven. “I didn’t even notice it changed, honestly. … You’ve gotta get where you’re going.”
And for some, the inflated cost of a tank of gas is cause for something other than frustration. One Dallasite at a Uptown QuickTrip said he’d gone out of his way to find gas less expensive than the $3.30-per-gallon that had been near his home. The man declined to share his name with the Observer, but identified himself as a retired Marine and an Uber driver.
On one hand, he lamented that the prices would eat into the profits he gets from driving for Uber. In 2022, high gas prices drove the company to implement an extra surcharge, and the Marine said that if prices don’t come down soon, he’d expect a similar policy to “kick in” to help drivers preserve their profits.
But the man was also not fully upset over the cost. He said he believes the United States’ strikes on Iran are “payback” for the 1979 Hostage Crisis, which “the last four presidents haven’t had the balls” to initiate.
“I don’t care a damn if the entire country of Iran gets bombed into a parking lot,” he said. “It’s 47 years overdue, and I don’t give a damn if [gas] goes up to $10 a gallon.”
