(Radio Iowa) – Triple-A Iowa spokesman Brian Ortner says the price of crude oil rose overnight on the news of the attack by Israel into Iran, and that could mean a jump in gas prices. Ortner says oil prices had already started trending up in the last couple of days, and the price of gas will likely go up in a day or two. “You know this is the same conversation we have multiple times, that the price we pay at the pump is in direct correlation to the price of oil, and political events like this one,” he says. Ortner says the jump up in oil is something we haven’t seen in a while.

“Crude oil prices are in the low 70s and that’s a spike of about ten dollars compared to this time last week. So as it currently stands, these the highest prices we’ve seen for oil since mid February. And our partner OPAS says this is probably a short term reaction to the headlines and doesn’t anticipate a dramatic rise,” he says. Ortner says we are getting into the summer travel season where there is always a little increase with increased demand. He says Iran is part of the group of oil exporting countries, and that is why there is some reaction. “It’s not foreseen it’s gonna be a long term disruption to global supplies, again, it should be a short term disruption and a short term increase for what we’re seeing at the pumps right now,” Ortner says.

Radio Iowa file photo

Gas prices in Iowa were below the three dollar mark before the Iran attack.