Gas prices hit above $6 mark, nearly $7 a gallon in one Bay Area city

MILL VALLEY, Calif. (KGO) -- Bay Area drivers are feeling pain at the pump. Gas prices have surged in recent days as the U.S. involvement in the war in Iran intensifies. The conflict is being blamed for pushing crude oil above $100 per-barrel.

Drivers in Marin County are doing a double take on the price of gas-yikes! More than $6 and climbing. At one station, diesel prices are now flirting with $7.00 in Mill Valley.

"It just went up another $.40 maybe $.60. I'm wishing I would've filled up this car when the war started and my other car too," said Ola Dean from Redwood City.

ABC7 Eyewitness News saw long lines at this Mill Valley Arco Station, which typically sells gas almost a dollar cheaper for regular.

"It's frustrating for sure. I feel like we spend so much money on gas as it is you know," said Jeff Burwell.

MORE: Crude oil prices surpass $100 a barrel as the Iran war impedes production and shipping

It's no secret California drivers already pay some of the highest gas prices in the country, and escalating Middle East tensions could push things into new territory. National gas prices are already moving fast, and California could be headed somewhere far worse, experts say.

Currently the average price for regular is $5.20. Premium is $5.60.

Energy experts can't say how long it may last.

"It's very hard to predict because we don't know how long the war is going to go. It's the war that's driving these high oil prices," said Severin Borenstein from UC Berkeley Haas Energy Institute.

MORE: California's gas prices could spike due to proposed state climate regulations, oil executives say

"We moved from Iran to America in 2012," said Saeid Shakari, who immigrated from Iran to San Rafael to open Marin Flowers.

He fears higher gas prices will hurt.

"Everything goes up, supplies, gas, deliveries, so it's really hard for our business," Shakari said.

Rising gas prices could be causing drivers to give electric vehicles and hybrids a second look.

Keith Ural at Toyota of Marin says his customers are asking.

"Prices are always going to drive people to alternatives. The higher gas prices are, the more affordable and better choice hybrid technology is," Ural said.