The U.S. retail diesel average dipped 3.5 cents to $5.608 a gallon from the previous week, the Department of Energy reported on April 14.

The decline halts the record fuel price run-up across the United States since the war in Iran started. The average is currently $2.029 per gallon higher than the same week a year earlier and $1.593 per gallon above the same week in 2024.  

Despite the decline in the national average, the regional price rose 7.8 cents in the Midwest to $5.382 a gallon. And despite double-digit drops on the West Coast, prices generally remain above $6. In California, the average is $7.50.

DOE also reported the U.S. retail gasoline average rose less than 1 cent to $4.123. That was 95.5 cents higher than the same week in 2025. Prices ranged from about $3.75 in the Gulf Coast to $5.35 on the West Coast. 

In a separate report issued on April 7, DOE’s Energy Information Administration said that “higher crude oil prices have led to higher gasoline and diesel prices, with diesel remaining particularly elevated due to tight global supplies and U.S. inventories remaining below the five-year (2021–2025) average.”

EIA forecasted diesel prices would peak at about $5.80 a gallon in April and average $4.80 a gallon for all of 2026. Retail gasoline prices were also projected to peak in April at $4.30 and average about $3.70 for the year.

Whether the peak in fuel prices actually happens during April could depend on how long the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. 

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said this week that global oil prices don’t yet reflect the severity of the supply crisis caused by the war in Iran. About 13 million barrels per day of oil supply have been shut down by the conflict.

The longer the Straight of Hormuz remains closed, the greater the risk for longer-term global disruptions and further price volatility.