NEW YORK, Sept. 8– The Iran war has cost U.S. consumers an estimated additional 100 billion U.S. dollars in energy costs, a figure that is rising by roughly 1 million every two minutes, according to a real-time estimate from Brown University as of Monday.
The Iran War Energy Cost Tracker from Brown’s Watson School says higher gasoline and diesel prices have cost the average U.S. household more than 760 dollars since the war began on Feb. 28.
The U.S. national average price for diesel rose to a record 5.90 dollars per gallon on Monday, surpassing the record 5.85 dollars set on Friday, according to the American Automobile Association.
Texas has borne the biggest share of the cost increase, with consumers paying around 11 billion dollars in extra gas and diesel costs since the war began.
It is followed by California and Florida, at about 8 billion dollars and 5 billion dollars, respectively. U.S. consumers are expecting a longer period of higher fuel prices than they anticipated when the war began, the tracker shows.
The rising costs have translated into higher transportation expenses for many everyday goods. Some businesses have already passed those costs on to consumers in the form of additional fees. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
