Saudi Arabia
This photo shows a general view of Saudi oil giant Aramco's Riyadh refinery, south of Riyadh on October 3, 2026. Getty Images

Gas prices are at a record high for October, with Americans already having paid more for gas on average under President Donald Trump than his predecessor, Joe Biden.

"Even though the national average dropped 5 cents this past week to $4.36, pump prices remain at record highs for autumn," AAA stated. "This is the first year the national average has been above $4 per gallon in October."

Gas prices do fluctuate seasonally. They usually rise in the summer and then drop in fall and winter. This year, however, gas prices have remained high and are actually higher than in July and August, largely as a result of the war in Iran.

Prices have remained high as hostilities have continued to flare throughout the Middle East. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted causing supply chain issues as 20 percent of the world's oil supply is shipped through the strait.

Saudi Arabia used its east-west pipeline to send oil to the Red Sea side of the country and bypass the Hormuz Strait. However, Houthi rebels based in Yemen and aligned with Iran have launched attacks on the pipeline and threatened to attack shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

This week, Saudi Arabia announced plans to store some oil in Singapore's Jurong Rock Caverns for safekeeping. Also, Egypt announced that it planned to help defend Saudi Arabia from attacks by the Houthi's.

Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine also has contributed to the high oil prices. Russia has routinely hit civilian targets throughout Ukraine, and Ukraine has begun targeting economic infrastructure in Russia, including oil refineries, saying that it is helping to fund Russia's ongoing invasion.

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The result is that during President Trump's two years in office, gas prices have averaged $3.472. That figure is now higher than the cost of gas during Biden's four years in office when it averaged $3.471 a gallon, Reuters reported.

"Once ​this conflict comes to an end, gas prices will drop drastically... Thanks to the exceptional work of the US military, more oil is now flowing out of the Persian Gulf than before the Iran conflict began," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Reuters.