On Thursday, United States government officials were sticking to their promise, saying they won't tolerate Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran threatened to shut down the waterway on Wednesday, but US officials say that would cut off access to nearly a fifth of the world's oil supply.

If it shuts down, the price of oil could spike.

So how realistic is paying $4 a gallon?

Glen Kauffman, who's a financial advisor in Harrisonburg, says gas prices are more unpredictable than the stock market now.

He says a lot of the up's and down's come from unpredictable developments, like what's happening in Iran right now.

Those rises often stem from news and emotions from around the world.

Kauffman expects prices to continue to rise as a result of what's happening overseas, but he says they can come down just as quickly because of how commodities work.

As far as predicting how much higher they'll go in 2012, Kauffman says it's anyone's guess.

"With all commodities, you don't know what's going to happen," he explained. "Will we see volatility? Yes. Do we know where that volatility is going to come from? No. The chances of hitting $4 a gallon in 2012 is probably an even bet. Would it go way beyond $4 a gallon? I doubt it."

In contrast, how low could gas prices get?

Kauffmann says prices can go up and down on a moment's notice, but he expects $3 a gallon to be the norm in 2012.

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