The students of Bucks County Community College are feeling the effects of the war in Iran, mainly on their wallets.
Gas prices are rising. As prices surge across the nation, many drivers are feeling the pinch, wondering how they’ll manage their budgets.
After nuclear talks fell through the joint U.S.-Israeli “Operation Epic Fury” escalated with strikes across Iran. Iran retaliated by firing rockets across the region.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, an important shipping route for oil. President Trump said the U.S. will not secure the Strait for nations not helping to fight the war, and he urged allies to “go get your own oil” by force if necessary.
The result has been skyrocketing gas prices. This is especially bad news at a commuter school where everyone drives.
Gas prices hit an average of $4 gallon, the highest since 2022, according to The Washington Post, with no hope in sight of a drop any time soon. The New York Times reported that since the end of February, the average cost of regular gasoline has jumped 35 percent, according to the AAA motor club.
Before the conflict erupted on Feb. 28, gas in the U.S. averaged about $2.98 a gallon. Many students have lamented the prices and their relation to the war.
Student Brie Glassey, 21, from Warminster, said, “I dread the day I have to go and get gas.” Even more so, she said, “we have no business being there (Iran)… It’s a poorly managed situation.”
Most students a Centurion reporter spoke to on gas prices and the war had an overall negative opinion on both. “In the long run, the war is gonna be bad,” said Michael Carbonara, 19, a business administration major from Horsham.
One student had a dissenting opinion from the rest of the student body. Zachary Crain, a Film and Photography major, said: “I do know that after the war is over, it’ll be fine.”
Another student reflected on the potential for another forever war in the Middle East, or for another quagmire like Afghanistan or even worse, Vietnam.
Merrick Kenny, biology major, 18, from Newtown, reflected by saying, “it’s stupid, doesn’t need to be done. If he (President Trump) was actually upset and cared about this, he wouldn’t have done what he did. He went from 0 to 100 without figuring anything out.”
Speculation has risen that the U.S. might launch a ground invasion in Iran. On that issue, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. aims “to be unpredictable” in the war.
Gas prices are soaring, and the conflict in Iran is the engine driving the surge. For Bucks County Community College students, the connection is clear: war equals wallet woes. This isn’t just news it’s financial reality.