Guam gas prices surge amid ongoing Iran conflict

Drivers across Guam are feeling more pain at the pump. Gas prices are climbing again as a global conflict in the Middle East pushes oil prices higher. KUAM News spoke with drivers about how the rising cost is impacting their daily routines.

Filling up the tank is getting more expensive for drivers across the island. At fuel stations across Guam, regular gas is around $5.32, with premium at $5.71, and diesel at $6.54 per gallon.  Madeleine Bermudes, a Yigo resident, shared, "They're too high. The gas prices are too high and it’s a struggle to get by sometimes."

Guam has long paid more for fuel than many parts of the mainland as the island depends on imported energy. But global events could push prices even higher. The price of regular gas jumped up $0.45 per gallon on Guam since the joint US-Israel attacks on Iran started. 

Yona resident Frank Fernandez can’t help criticizing the conflict when seeing the soaring prices, saying, "The gas prices, the cost of living here is already out of control. And there has to be a big change, not just on a local level but a structural level...this war that’s going on in Iran, it doesn’t need to happen."

Oil markets are reacting to the escalating war, which has disrupted shipping and oil supplies in the Middle East. Global oil prices have surged above $100 per barrel as the conflict threatens a major route — the Strait of Hormuz — which handles about 20% of the world’s oil supply.

Fernandez added, "We’re all pretty much powerless in this situation. Everybody on Guam is just trying to buy eggs and not worry about rent. People are struggling. Whoever voted for this man, shame on you."

For many drivers on Guam, fuel is a necessary expense, especially for people who commute daily, like Yigo resident Madeleine Bermudes. "It impacts a lot because we need to get around," she said. "Sometimes it’s hard."

With oil markets remaining volatile, drivers are watching prices closely and hoping the cost of fuel doesn’t climb even higher. "I’m just dealing with it on a microscopic level, to every cent I spend and see what I don’t need so I can save up on some money," Fernandez added.

"Whatever helps."