WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The price Americans pay for gasoline ticked higher on Thursday for the first time in nearly 50 days, a reversal driven by the sudden collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire and the return of crude oil volatility that had only recently begun to ease at the pump.

The national average price of regular gasoline rose to $3.84 per gallon on Thursday, up from $3.79 the day before, according to data from the American Automobile Association. The five-cent jump ended a steady decline that had brought prices down from their 2026 peak of $4.56 per gallon, recorded on May 21, when fallout from the Iran conflict and tightening global supply pushed costs to their highest level since the summer of 2022.

The reversal follows a sharp esca...