UK Petrol Prices Hit Wartime High as Iran Conflict Drives Oil Surge
UK petrol prices have climbed to a fresh wartime record, BBC Business reported Tuesday, with the average cost of unleaded reaching 158.52p per litre — the highest level since the Iran conflict erupted in late February.
Prices Eclipse Previous April Peak
The latest figure edges above the prior wartime high of 158.31p per litre recorded on 15 April. Prices had dipped by more than a penny after that point before reversing course at the start of May and resuming their climb, according to the RAC.
The motoring group cautioned that unleaded is on track to breach 160p per litre in the weeks ahead. It said only a sharp and sustained fall in global oil prices would prevent that outcome.
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Iran War Reshaped the Energy Landscape
When fighting broke out on 28 February, energy markets across the Middle East were disrupted almost immediately. Missile strikes and drone attacks hampered both production and the movement of oil through the region, sending prices sharply higher.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, now trades around $111 a barrel, up from roughly $73 before the conflict began. That near-$40 per barrel swing has fed directly into UK forecourt costs. Petrol averaged 132.83p per litre at the start of hostilities. Diesel, which now sits at 185.92p per litre, has risen even more steeply from an opening level of 142.38p.
Fuel Duty Decision Looms for Chancellor
RAC head of policy Simon Williams told BBC Business the price milestone lands at a politically sensitive moment. The government is understood to be weighing whether to scrap a planned 1p increase in fuel duty scheduled for September. That rise would have partially reversed a 5p cut introduced during the Ukraine war, leaving the current rate at 52.95p per litre.
Williams said keeping duty unchanged would offer meaningful relief to drivers his organisation says are already stretched by the cost of filling up. The Treasury declined to comment on the speculation.
On diesel, Williams offered a cautiously brighter note, pointing out that wholesale diesel costs have fallen meaningfully since their early-April peak. He nonetheless urged retailers to pass those savings on to consumers at the pump rather than preserve the margin for themselves.
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What Comes Next
With Brent crude holding well above $100 and the Iran conflict showing no sign of resolution, analysts see little near-term relief for UK motorists. The chancellor’s fuel duty call — expected ahead of the September budget — will determine whether fiscal policy softens even a fraction of the blow.
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