People use the gas station in Columbia, Md., on May 17, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch TimesRising energy prices from the three-month-old war in Iran lifted inflation in May to its highest level in three years.The U.S. annual inflation rate surged to 4.2 percent last month, from 3.8 percent in April, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on June 10.