LEWISTON — As conflict in the Middle East escalates, drivers are seeing the impact at the pumps, with gas prices experiencing some of biggest increases in recent years.

Elisabeth Moeller, while filling her tank Friday at 7-Eleven on Main Street, said she was not impressed following attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel.

“Ever since the war in Iran it’s gone up about 30 cents,” Moeller said, punching in her card’s PIN. “That’s all I have to say about that.”

According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Maine has gone from $2.91 a week ago to $3.21 by Friday. The average on Friday in the Lewiston-Auburn area was 2 cents higher.

The price of oil surged to more than $90 a barrel Friday, rising to its highest price since 2023 and about 30% over its level before the attacks on Iran, indicating that gas prices will continue to rise.

“It’s to be expected,” Paul Baril said as he pumped $3.39-per-gallon gas into his company pickup truck at the Irving on Lisbon Street.

“I wish we would never have started this whole war thing, but, you know, it’s to be expected with who’s in charge.”

On Friday, most drivers said they had little choice but to pay the price.

Katlyn Stump was pumping $3.14 regular unleaded into her pickup truck at the Coast to Coast station on Lisbon Street. She admitted she had not been keeping up with news. 

“I mean, I’ve definitely noticed gas has gone up,” Stump said. “It sucks when you’re in a vehicle like this because it’s more gas, more miles.”

Across the pumps, Tyler Gammon said a look back about three or four years ago, when gas was closer to $2 per gallon, puts things into perspective.

“You could fill your tank up with like $15 and now it takes like $30 to $40,” he said. “But I guess you’ve just got to live through it. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

Gammon wasn’t optimistic there would be a quick reversal. He’d like to see prices down at least to $2.50 a gallon, but he thinks they’ll continue to go up.

“I’ve been seeing a lot about $100 per (barrel of oil),” he said. “I’ve heard some about it going up and it probably could with all these different countries getting involved. So, probably. I would think so.”

There was at least one driver Friday who wasn’t bemoaning the high cost of filling up their tank.

“The price of gas should be $6 a gallon,” Ben Lounsbury, the proud owner of a Toyota Prius hybrid, said at the 7-Eleven. “Fossil fuel prices should be much higher to stop encouraging people from using them.”

Lounsbury said he had filled up only five or six times since purchasing his Prius in July.

“I’m not feeling the pinch at all,” he said.