Gasoline prices across the United States have climbed sharply since the war with Iran began, increasing by more than 55 cents per gallon over the past two weeks, according to data cited by MarketWatch.
The national average for regular gasoline has risen from roughly $2.98 per gallon on Feb. 28 to $3.539 as of March 10, based on figures compiled by AAA. The rapid increase comes as crude oil prices jumped amid concerns that fighting in the Middle East could disrupt global energy supplies.
Industry analysts say the upward trend may continue as gas stations adjust their prices to reflect rising wholesale fuel costs tied to the surge in oil markets.
“It’s extremely rare to see such a fast-paced increase,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, noting that the recent jump ranks among the fastest weekly increases in more than two decades of gasoline price data.
The spike in fuel costs follows a series of escalating military strikes across the Middle East that briefly pushed global oil prices above $100 per barrel, forcing energy markets to react quickly to the possibility of prolonged supply disruptions.
“Oil prices did rise beyond the $100 mark sooner than I thought,” De Haan said, adding he had hoped there would be “a tangible and cohesive plan to execute on for the Strait of Hormuz that obviously has not happened.”
Experts say gasoline prices may continue to rise in the days ahead as fuel retailers pass along higher supply costs to consumers.
GasBuddy projects that prices in many parts of the country could rise another 20 to 50 cents per gallon this week, potentially bringing the nationwide average close to $3.70 and possibly approaching $4 per gallon if crude oil prices remain elevated.
The increase has been particularly dramatic in California.
According to AAA, the average cost of regular gasoline in California is currently about $5.29 per gallon, making it the highest in the nation and nearly $1.75 above the national average.
In some locations, the prices are even more extreme.
Reports from Los Angeles indicate that at least one station has charged as much as $8.21 per gallon, illustrating how quickly retail fuel prices can spike in California’s tightly constrained gasoline market.
Fuel prices in California are typically far higher than in most other states due to several factors, including higher gasoline taxes, specialized environmental fuel requirements, and limited refining capacity, all of which can intensify price swings when global oil markets tighten.
Energy analysts caution that prices could keep rising if the conflict in the Middle East continues.
“The longer the Iran conflict goes on, the more susceptible the market becomes to incredible price spikes,” said Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at OPIS.
Economists say gasoline prices tend to influence consumer behavior more strongly than many other costs.
“At $4 a gallon, the consumer starts to figure out how to use less gasoline,” said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, noting that drivers often respond by traveling less, combining errands or carpooling.
Studies show motorists typically begin adjusting their driving habits when gasoline prices exceed the levels they have grown accustomed to over the previous year.
“We’re definitely in that territory,” said Clemson University economist Matthew Lewis. “Now drivers are paying attention.”
{Matzav.com}
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said Tuesday that federal investigators uncovered widespread fraud in the Lifeline subsidy program, including tens of thousands of deceased individuals who were reportedly enrolled for benefits in California.
Carr addressed the issue during a policy discussion with Breitbart News. During the conversation, Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle asked Carr about steps being taken to combat fraud, referencing the administration’s announcement that JD Vance would lead a national initiative targeting fraudulent activity following directives issued by President Donald Trump.
In response, Carr explained the structure of the Lifeline program and why the FCC has taken a closer look at how it has been administered in California under Governor Gavin Newsom.
“The Lifeline program is a federal program that you pay for,” Carr explained. “It is effectively an assessment that appears on your monthly telephone bill. We collect that money, and it goes to do a lot of things, but one of the things it does is to provide subsidies for phone or internet service for low income households.”
Carr said that over the years the program has repeatedly drawn the attention of individuals seeking to exploit it.
“Well, turns out, over the years, it has been very attractive to fraudsters,” he stated. “And the FCC’s inspector general did a report and advisory and found that in California alone, over 94,000 dead people were signed up for and getting Lifeline in California — itself was in charge of vetting to see who’s eligible for Lifeline or not.”
According to Carr, the FCC has already moved to change how eligibility is verified in California.
“So we’ve now revoked California’s authority to conduct its own vetting,” Carr remarked. “We now make California join almost every other state to go through a federal vetting process for Lifeline and we’re putting in place a very simple two-part test.”
He explained that recipients must meet two basic criteria in order to qualify.
“To get these federal subsidies, you must be both a lawful and living beneficiary,” he continued. “Some people say we were setting the bar too high by a lawful and living beneficiary standard.”
Carr added that the FCC plans to strengthen verification procedures by making greater use of national databases that track deaths.
“There’s death registries, death databases that should be doing a much better job of vetting and checking. So we are starting a proceeding where we’re going to make sure that there’s a much better job being done of that,” Carr added.
The chairman also argued that problems with fraud extend beyond the Lifeline program, pointing to issues in California’s emergency response system.
“The fraud goes much beyond that,” he commented. “There’s also a recent story where Gavin Newsom came in, and I think in his first week in office, said he was going to improve the state’s aging 911 systems. You call 911 that’s a call that you always want to go through.”
Carr said the state invested heavily in an effort to modernize the system but that the upgrade ultimately failed.
“There’s an antiquated, outdated system in California,” Carr continued. “Gavin Newsom pledged $450 million to solve that antiquated, outdated 911 system. Once they upgraded the system, they turned it on, it didn’t work. So they’ve shut it down. Apparently, as best as I can tell, the $450 million is gone, and California is still stuck on the old, antiquated 911 system.”
Carr said the FCC has created a specific initiative aimed at identifying misuse of federal funding programs.
“So we are working hard at the FCC,” he said. “Again, we have a very specific work stream, just looking at instances of waste, fraud and abuse, and we’re going to continue to direct change. But again, millions and millions of dollars is just going up in smoke all across the country.”
When asked about consequences for individuals who participate in fraudulent schemes, Carr said regulators are exploring stronger penalties that would prevent offenders from receiving benefits from any federal program.
“There’s a whole — we call it debarment process, where if you’re caught violating one federal program, you should be kicked out from all federal programs,” he noted. “There’s been some holes in how that’s worked at the FCC, and we’re looking to close that out.”
Carr concluded by saying the commission is considering tougher enforcement measures to ensure that those involved in fraudulent activities face broader restrictions.
“So if you’re participating in a bad scheme at the FCC, you’re not just kicked out of FCC programs, but potentially all federal benefit programs,” he concluded. “And so we’re looking to be much more aggressive there with the bad actors.”
{Matzav.com}
Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly injured in the early stages of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to a Wednesday report by The New York Times citing both Israeli and Iranian officials.
The report said Khamenei, 56, sustained wounds to his legs during the opening day of the attacks. The injuries may explain why he has not yet appeared publicly or delivered a recorded address since being chosen to succeed his father.
Mojtaba Khamenei was formally named supreme leader on Sunday following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for decades before being killed at the outset of the war.
According to the report, the younger Khamenei was injured during the same opening strikes that claimed his father’s life. His absence from public view since the announcement of his leadership has fueled speculation about the extent of his condition.
As of Wednesday morning—more than two days after his appointment—Khamenei had not issued a public statement nor appeared in any video message.
Sources cited by The Times said that beyond concerns about his injuries, security fears are also playing a role in his silence, with officials worried that any public communication could expose his location and make him a target.
Earlier reports had already suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt during the conflict. Iranian state media previously referred to him as a “janbaz,” a term used to describe someone wounded by enemy forces.
It remains uncertain whether his injuries are severe enough to hinder his ability to lead the country.
Adding to the uncertainty, the son of Iran’s president addressed the matter on Wednesday, saying Mojtaba Khamenei was “safe and sound,” though he did not dispute reports that the new supreme leader had been injured.
“I heard news that Mr Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound,” said Yousef Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser, in a post on his Telegram channel.
Despite years spent operating behind the scenes as a key aide running his father’s office, Mojtaba Khamenei is still largely unfamiliar to many people in Iran.
Senior Iranian officials told The Times that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pushed aggressively for his appointment. According to those sources, the powerful military organization viewed him as a leader who would more readily support its hardline agenda and override objections raised by more moderate voices within the regime.
The IRGC, which already wielded enormous influence, has further strengthened its position since the outbreak of the war. Sources said the group quickly brushed aside reservations from senior clerical and political figures whose resistance briefly delayed the announcement of Khamenei’s selection.
Israel has already warned that any Iranian leader directing the country’s campaign against Israel could become a target.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yisroel Katz said last week that any leader appointed by the Iranian regime would be an “unequivocal target for elimination.”
“Any leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan to destroy Israel, threaten the US and the free world and the countries of the region, and oppress the Iranian people, will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz said in a statement.
“It does not matter what his name is or where he hides,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
Israel’s defense establishment says its military campaign against Iran will press ahead without a deadline, as Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz declared that the country’s leadership has retreated into underground bunkers while Israeli and American forces continue coordinated operations.
Katz delivered the remarks Wednesday during a high-level security assessment with senior defense officials, where he said Israel intends to pursue the war until every strategic objective has been met.
The meeting was attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram, Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, Home Front Command head Maj. Gen. Shay Kalper, the defense minister’s military secretary Brig. Gen. Guy Markizeno, Research Division chief Brig. Gen. Ofir Mizrahi-Rozen, Operations Division head Brig. Gen. Israel Shomer, Israeli Air Force chief of staff Brig. Gen. Gilad Keinan, along with other senior security officials.
Speaking during the discussion, Katz commended the military’s performance and pointed to the close cooperation between Israel and the United States. “I praise the very impressive achievements in both offense and defense and the joint activity with our American partner. The surviving Iranian leadership are a group of cowards who act bravely only against women, children, and the elderly in the streets, specializing in massacres and the killing of civilians – and they are already threatening to murder and slaughter anyone who protests.”
Katz said Iran’s leaders have retreated underground in the face of sustained military pressure. “But as we see, Chief of Staff, when they encounter real force, they flee like rats into tunnels, just like the Hamas leadership in Gaza. Today they truly resemble Hamas, and from there they give orders to fire at civilians and children in Israel and across the region. That is exactly what remains of them – a Hamas-like leadership.”
He continued by describing the scope of the military campaign against Iran’s security apparatus. “The IDF, together with our partner, is carrying out impressive and systematic operations targeting regime personnel themselves, the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij. Many thousands have been killed, and because they shut down the internet they are concealing the numbers.”
Katz said intelligence assessments indicate that Iranian hospitals are overwhelmed by casualties among regime forces. “I understand that the morgues in hospitals are full, and we are talking here about terror forces, not civilians, and this effort must certainly continue. We will continue to act and crush the regime and its strategic targets in Tehran and across Iran, day after day, target after target. We will also continue in order to enable the Iranian people to rise up and remove this regime. Ultimately, this is something that depends on them.”
He also emphasized that the war effort is being directed jointly by the leaders of Israel and the United States. “This operation, led by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who speak and coordinate daily and from there guide and set policy – and carried out by you and by CENTCOM together with the US military, will continue without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all objectives and decisively win the campaign.”
{Matzav.com}
Nearly 600 Israelis arrived in Israel on Tuesday aboard two direct flights fully financed by the government of the United Arab Emirates, in an operation organized through efforts by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, according to a report by Roi Kais on Kan News.
The UAE is currently the only country known to have fully covered the cost of evacuation flights for Israeli citizens from anywhere in the world, including flights returning them to Israel. The aircraft reportedly flew along a longer-than-usual route and carried no external identifying markings.
Two days earlier, Israel’s Transportation Ministry announced the launch of Operation “Lionesses of the Gulf,” a plan aimed at bringing Israelis currently in the United Arab Emirates back home. The initiative followed a conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE leader Mohammed bin Zayed.
Under the arrangement reached between the two countries, special evacuation flights are being provided exclusively for Israeli citizens currently in the Emirates at no cost. The flights are being operated in cooperation with Emirati airlines to Israel and other destinations as soon as airspace conditions allow.
Meanwhile, Israeli airlines announced this past weekend that they would begin operating outbound flights from Israel starting Sunday. The flights are being conducted according to the Transportation Ministry’s framework for rescue operations from Israel, with passenger numbers on each departing flight temporarily limited to 70 people.
{Matzav.com}
The Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Rav Yisroel Hager, is expected to travel to Germany next Sunday to undergo medical treatment there, following a series of treatments he has recently received in Yerushalayim.
The upcoming trip comes as a continuation of the care the Rebbe has been receiving from leading physicians at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center.
The journey was arranged through coordination between senior specialists at Hadassah and the medical team at the hospital in Germany where the next stage of treatment will take place.
Representatives of the Vizhnitzer chassidus have expressed appreciation for the dedication of the Hadassah administration and its medical staff, noting their tireless efforts on behalf of the Rebbe’s recovery.
All are asked to daven for Yisroel ben Leah Esther.
{Matzav.com}A senior figure in the chareidi parties said Tuesday night that the Israeli draft law has not been abandoned, despite the government’s decision to delay its advancement because of the war and the need to pass the state budget.
According to the official, the halt in promoting the legislation is tied to the current security situation and the urgency of approving a budget that will fund Israel’s war effort.
“The draft law has not died but was postponed due to the war and the need to pass a budget to finance the fighting. After the war we will return to legislating the law with full force,” the official said.
The senior figure also criticized statements made by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, describing them as politically driven. “The statements are meant to gather votes in order to pass the electoral threshold and to justify his retreat from the reforms.”
Smotrich himself addressed the delay in advancing the draft law, explaining that the government has decided to temporarily set aside divisive issues during wartime.
“In order to succeed in this mission we are putting aside issues that are in dispute and not appropriate for wartime. We are putting aside the draft law, which will not be advanced now.”
He added that passing the state budget quickly would enable Israel to continue its security campaign while maintaining economic stability.
“War is a time for unity and national responsibility. Passing the budget immediately will allow us to win the war and strengthen Israel’s economy in the coming years.”
{Matzav.com}