Oil prices have been going up, but why? As the conflict with Iran continues, the Strait of Hormuz continues to be heavily restricted as well. This makes it very difficult for Middle Eastern countries to export oil around the world, therefore raising oil prices globally.

According to AP News, a two-week ceasefire was agreed upon on April 7th between the US, Israel, and Iran, which seems like diplomatic progress, but on the same day, missiles from both sides of the conflict were fired at multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Lebanon.

After Israel attacked Lebanon on April 8th, Iran completely shut down the Strait of Hormuz, only letting two oil tankers through on the day of the attack. However, in response to the Iranian shutdown of the Strait, the US has decided to block all Iranian trade in or out of the Strait.

The rest of the world isn’t happy, though. Pakistani officials are flocking to Iran and countries affected by the dispute in attempts to encourage further talks between Iran and the US after the ceasefire was threatened by Israel’s attack in Lebanon. The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz has driven oil prices even higher than they were before, and the conflict will eventually cause the average American to pay more money in gas driving to work than they make throughout the day.

Because the ceasefire is so shaky, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Lebanese officials on April 14th, according to a post on his Instagram page, and surprisingly achieved further diplomatic progress. These important talks included a possible 10-day extension of the ceasefire between the conflicting forces and a halt to Israeli attacks on civilian villages and towns in southern Lebanon.

As the events unfold and America’s naval presence in the Strait of Hormuz intensifies, Iranian forces continue to quietly block the passage and selectively export oil even after giving the US full control of the strait temporarily. As for oil and gas prices, it’s not looking good for the average American. According to Reuters on April 29th, shipping through the strait remained at a trickle due to the Iranian-American deadlock.

It’s a rocky road to peace between most Middle Eastern countries, as the conflicts drag on, oil prices continue to get higher, and Americans are funding the fighting at the pump.