The cost of fuel in the United States is on the rise, with the price of gasoline steadily ticking up since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began in February. As oil supplies remain disrupted in the Middle East, Americans have seen gas stations across the country change their signs every day for more than a month.

But the price increases have not been spread evenly. In California, where drivers typically pay the most for gas in the country, a gallon of regular unleaded has cost, on average, well over $5 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club. In Oklahoma, a gallon has been closer to $3.

The wide range is owed to regional differences in taxes, distribution costs and refining margins. But the common denominator is the supply of oil in the world.

Although the United States is a net exporter of petroleum products, it has to import millions of barrels a day of those commodities to refine, often mixed with our own domestic crude. The cost of those barrels is vulnerable to shockwaves in the global market.

If the war drags on, fuel prices will continue to chip away at Americans’ wallets.

Allbirds, an eco-friendly shoe company that won over Silicon Valley, was sold at a fraction of the $4 billion it was once worth.

The shoe brand said this week that it is selling all of its assets to American Exchange Group, a brand management company, for $39 million. The company, which makes shoes from wool and eucalyptus, attracted young Bay Area consumers and celebrities for its sustainable practices, but has since struggled to find its footing.

Allbirds peaked at a $4-billion valuation when it went public in 2021, but sales plummeted not long after. The company made $33 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2025, a little more than half of the $63 million it made for the same period in 2021.

The deal is still awaiting approval from shareholders and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.

The company canceled an earnings call it had scheduled for Tuesday, and its shares dropped by more than 10% Wednesday.

The company has evolved over the past decade into a brand known for innovation and comfort, Joe Vernachio, the company’s chief executive, said in a statement.

“This next chapter with AXNY builds on the foundational work already completed and sets up the brand to thrive in the years ahead,” Vernachio said.

The brand’s pricey wool shoes were initially embraced by celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, who invested in the company in 2018. However, the company failed to retain consumers for its other products, including flip-flops with sugarcane-based soles and wool leggings.

Allbirds was started nearly two decades ago in New Zealand by former professional football player Tim Brown. The company went public at a time when venture capitalists were funneling money into direct-to-consumer brands, which both make and sell goods through their own websites and stores.

The company eventually abandoned that approach, selling the product through retailers, but sales still tapered out. It had a net loss of just over $101 million in 2022.

Net proceeds from the sale are expected to be distributed to stockholders in the third quarter of 2026, the company said.

The cost of gasoline hit an unwelcome benchmark in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday as the average price per gallon officially reached the $6 mark, according to the American Automobile Assn.

National gas prices also hit an unpleasant peak Tuesday when they surpassed the $4 mark for the first time in nearly four years. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent prices up in 2022, and this time the surge in cost is due to Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes — amid the ongoing war.

Average gas prices at the local and national levels have increased by more than $1 a gallon since the U.S. and Israel initiated the conflict with Iran on Feb 28. And average national prices for diesel, the fuel used by most delivery trucks, have seen an even larger increase, up to $5.45 a gallon from around $3.76 before the war began, according to AAA.

Gas stations still have the ability to set their own prices, meaning there is a significant range seen across the region.

On the high end of the spectrum, the infamously expensive Chevron on the corner of Alameda Street and East Cesar Chavez Avenue in Chinatown is charging more than $8.70 a gallon. However, there are also several stations where gas still costs around $5 a gallon, according to the GasBuddy app.

As of Tuesday, the stations with more acceptably priced gas in L.A. County include:

• The 76 at 4600 Melrose Ave. in East Hollywood, where gas costs $4.89 a gallon.
• The Sinclair at 4590 Melrose Ave. in East Hollywood, $4.97 a gallon.
• The Mobil at 730 E. Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel, $4.99 a gallon.
• The American Oil at 6850 Long Beach Blvd. in Long Beach, $5.09 a gallon.
• The United Brothers Gas at 502 W. Duarte Road in Monrovia, $5.14 a gallon.
• The Circle K at 8609 Garvey Ave. in Rosemead, $5.25 a gallon.
• The Arco at 8351 Washington Blvd. in Pico Rivera, $5.29 a gallon.
• The Arco at 10808 Lakewood Blvd. in Downey, $5.29 a gallon.

Californians may be pulling their hair out over the uptick in oil costs, but for many consumers in European countries, wartime disruptions in oil supplies have resulted in even more extreme price surges. In Paris, for example, the average price per gallon hit the equivalent of $10.27 this week.

In a Tuesday statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt vowed that “gas prices will plummet back to the multi-year lows American drivers enjoyed before these short-term disruptions” once the U.S.-Israel joint military campaign aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear and missile programs is complete. President Trump said Tuesday that he expected the United States to end its involvement in the war with Iran within three weeks.

“President Trump remains committed to fully unleashing American energy dominance, lowering costs, and putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking American families,” Leavitt said.

The uptick in gasoline prices has led to frustration across the country.

A recent AP-NORC poll found that 45% of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% shortly after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

The price surge also has had political ramifications for oil production in California, with Trump invoking a Cold War-era law to force the controversial resumption of offshore drilling in the Golden State, citing the need to bolster domestic oil production for national security purposes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.