The average gas price in Massachusetts has risen 71 cents since the Iran war began, fueling some Newton drivers’ frustration with the conflict and anxiety among gas station workers.
“I think it has affected us—we have around about 30 percent less revenue,” Irfan Noor, manager of the Sunoco near Newton Corner, said. “People are not buying as much. I think they’re avoiding unnecessary travel.”
Noor articulated that while the gas station is still making roughly the same daily revenue, it is selling less gas. When people do come into the station, though, Noor said they appear visibly shocked by the prices.
“They just can’t believe it when they look at the prices,” Noor said.
A customer at Sunoco, Yannick Schaefer, said he was personally surprised to see the price for gas at the station.
“I mean, just looking at the pump now, it’s higher than I expected it to be,” Schaefer said.
Mobil customer Erin O’Brien, however, said she was not shocked to see the rise in gas prices.
“I’m not surprised, and I think it just goes to show that everything is connected,” O’Brien said. “I’m gonna go political—like people didn’t realize that Trump was gonna ruin everything, and it’s gonna affect literally every corner of life.”
The gas stations The Heights surveyed averaged $3.84 per gallon. While Massachusetts gas averages $3.62 per gallon, Newton’s runs slightly higher at $3.65, driven by elevated logistics costs from trucking fuel into the dense Boston metro area.
As of early March 2026, the Cambridge-Newton-Framingham area was identified as one of the most expensive areas in Massachusetts, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Emily Zisow, a customer at the Mobil in Newton Highlands, noted that gas prices had significantly increased from when she last filled her car.
“I think I remember getting gas here at like $2.79 a gallon a couple months ago,” Zisow said.
O’Brien said this recent rise in prices has strained her family’s budget, which relies exclusively on her teacher’s salary.
“I’m single,” O’Brien said. “I have to pay for all my own stuff. So yeah, it’s a struggle.”
While Zisow said she does not pay for her own gas, she feels for the people who do.
“So my parents pay for my gas, so I feel I can’t really have too much of an opinion on it, but I don’t feel like it’s quite fair since people need gas every day,” Zisow said. “A lot of people need it for their jobs, so I feel like [gas prices] should stay around their normal range.”
At this time last year, the price for gas in Newton was $2.95, according to AAA.
The Iran war has driven up gas prices by threatening global oil supplies, particularly through potential blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of the world’s oil traffic. While Noor, Schaefer, and O’Brien do not support the Iran war, Sunoco customer Kenny Tataka believes the war is necessary.
“I was in the service,” Tataka said. “I think that we have to do whatever it takes to protect our interests nationally and also abroad, and that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to stand by and do nothing.”
To account for surges in gas prices, Tataka said he puts aside $20 a month for gas. But Mobil customer Ryan Sosin decides to instead limit the amount of money he’s spending on gas by driving a hybrid car more frequently.
“I definitely drive my wife’s hybrid more than my car, which is all gas,” Sosin said.
Noor said he predicts more drivers will switch to both smaller and hybrid cars amid rising gas prices.
“I think [SUV owners] are gonna be thinking about getting smaller cars,” Noor said. “And people who have smaller cars probably are switching to hybrid.”
While Noor says the Sunoco station is coping with current gas prices, it may need to cut other operating costs if prices keep climbing.
“We’re okay for now,” Noor said. “We’re thinking that maybe $4.50 is not going to be sustainable with too many employees.”
Graph created by Associate News Editor Nikita Osadchiy
