Gasoline prices have reached $4.14 a gallon nationally ahead of Labor Day, up 4 cents from a week earlier, and AAA predicts the holiday weekend will bring the highest pump prices on record. Diesel averaged $5.78 a gallon, just below its $5.81 record from June 2022. The price surge comes despite the seasonal decline in gasoline demand, as conflict in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts oil-market expectations. Brown University estimates the Iran war has added more than $741 in fuel costs per household. Higher diesel prices are also increasing expenses for trucking, construction, agriculture and other heavy-vehicle industries, while raising transportation costs that can feed into consumer inflation. President Trump has met U.S. oil refiners about increasing capacity and reached a deal with Venezuela involving about 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, but energy experts say those fields could take years to affect U.S. fuel prices. Analysts expect prices to remain elevated until shipping resumes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil-export route. Brent crude stood at $95.55 a barrel Thursday afternoon, while the U.S. benchmark was around $91.50.