‘Inevitable increase’ for UK petrol prices after Iran conflict | World | News
Motorists have been warned that rising global oil prices could increase fuel costs in the UK. Following the increasing conflicts in Iran, images across the country show that the number of gas station pumps has decreased.
The United States and Israel launched large-scale attacks targeting Iran’s missile infrastructure, military facilities and senior leaders on Saturday, February 28. After Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during these attacks, conflicts spread to the Middle East.
AA chief executive Edmund King said much of the rise in oil prices since the start of the war had been “pre-accounted for by market traders”. Scenes of drivers running dry on forecourts were filmed across the UK, although he stressed that “there was no need for drivers to disrupt their refueling routines”.
Pump prices on UK forecourts had already been rising slightly in recent days to better reflect wholesale prices. Mr King predicted oil prices could return to levels last seen in early 2026, meaning as low as 131.9p last month, when a liter of petrol cost 135.7p on average.
Particularly long queues were reportedly formed at Costco in Oldham, Manchester, and Tesco in South Queensferry, Scotland, as they ran out of lead-free items. The queues come after oil prices rose 13 percent on Monday amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “While conflict in the Middle East undoubtedly has the potential to increase pump prices in the UK, this is not a given. For it to have a dramatic impact, the price of oil would need to rise significantly and remain that way for a period of time.”
People can track the cheapest gas prices using. free RAC ‘Fuel Monitor’ tracker. It compares major brands such as Asda, Costco, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, as well as many other smaller brands, ensuring drivers know the real cheapest option when they need to refuel.
