Seattle diesel tops $7 per gallon, a record, amid Iran blockade

As U.S.-Iran peace talks hit another major snag this weekend, gas prices in Washington have continued to skyrocket.

In Seattle, diesel prices hit a record $7.10, decreasing slightly Monday to $7.05. The national average is $5.62 per gallon.

Statewide diesel prices Friday hit an average of $6.96 per gallon, shattering a Washington record of $6.53 set just a couple of weeks before.

Regular fuel prices are still hovering below the state record, with a gallon of unleaded Monday averaging $5.39. That's about 16 cents below the record reached in June 2022.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump ordered a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, after peace talks with Tehran disintegrated. The strait between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman is a global shipping route. About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows through the passage, according to the BBC.

Trump said Sunday that the U.S. Navy will block ships from entering or leaving the strait, causing gas and oil prices to further surge. The blockade began Monday.

AAA reports a national average of $4.11 per gallon for regular gas and $5.65 per gallon for diesel. In comparison, regular was $3.20 nationwide last April. Diesel was $3.60.

Nick Huntington-Klein, an associate professor of economics at Seattle University, pointed to the general slowdown in the Strait of Hormuz, even before the blockade, as responsible for the increase in gas prices. And the total shutdown won't help.

There was a period where some ships were getting through to Iran. Now we're looking at a place where nothing's getting through, Huntington-Klein said.

He said predictions from the oil and gas industry that tankers would start moving through the strait soon may have contributed to a brief reprieve, but now that the blockade is in place, it's unlikely prices will come down again before the end of the war.

Diesel is more energy-dense than regular fuel, and it's used in most commercial vehicles and equipment. The increased price of diesel for transporting goods means those costs are often passed on to customers.

The West Coast and other Western states have some of the highest gas prices in the United States. California and Hawaiʻi typically have the highest, this week averaging $5.89 and $5.64, respectively. Washington is typically the third-most expensive. Oregon, Nevada, Alaska and Arizona usually follow, hovering between $4.60 and $5 this week.

That's partly because of crude oil costs, transportation and refining costs, as well as climate laws and state and federal taxes.

The federal government taxes gas and diesel at 18.4 cents per gallon. Washington's excise tax on unleaded gas is 55.4 cents per gallon and 58.4 cents per gallon for diesel.

At a Columbia City gas station Monday afternoon, customers and employees both said they're feeling the pinch. An employee said they've noticed more people paying with change, scrounging up whatever money they have to cover prices at the pump.

Even as the state's average remains one of the highest in the nation, prices at individual pumps and in different areas of the state can vary widely. Customers can check online for more specific prices, some of which are updated daily. AAA and GasBuddy both maintain national and local data.

Tribal gas stations throughout the United States, including Washington, are offering gas at discounted rates through tax exemptions.

The cheapest gas in the state is in the Clarkston area of Asotin County, at $4.76 for regular and $5.60 for diesel as of Tuesday. Regular gas has been cheaper right across the state line, with the average price at $4.13 for regular in Lewiston, Idaho. But diesel was $5.63 per gallon on Tuesday in Lewiston.

Seattle Times reporter Caitlyn Freeman contributed to this story.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 4:52 PM.