Cooling U.S.-Iran tensions bring lower oil, gas prices, analyst says

Gasoline prices fell in Pittsburgh and across the nation in the past week as oil prices fell along with tensions between the U.S. and Iran, according to price tracking service GasBuddy.

“With Iran and the United States de-escalating rising tensions last week, oil prices plummeted back under $60 per barrel, a welcome sign for motorists who had believed gas prices were about to shoot up,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

In the Pittsburgh region, gas prices fell 1.3 cents a gallon in the past week to an average of $2.86, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations. That’s 4.6 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and 39.2 cents per gallon more than a year ago.

The national average price has fallen 1.8 cents a gallon in the past week, averaging $2.57. That’s 0.6 cents per gallon more than a month ago, and 33.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

Neighboring areas and their current per-gallon gas prices:

• Akron — $2.36, down 11.6 cents per gallon from last week

• Cleveland — $2.48, down 5.8 cents per gallon from last week

• West Virginia — $2.57, down 1.8 cents per gallon from last week.