Fuel prices surge as hostilities resume in Iran

Fuel prices are climbing sharply again. Diesel, France’s best-selling fuel, is approaching €2.30 per liter and has moved back toward the peaks reached during the height of the crisis between Washington and Tehran. On motorways, the price has already exceeded €2.36 per liter.

The increase marks a steep rise from the €1.663 per liter recorded before the conflict began at the end of February. Gasoline is following the same path. The price of SP95-E10 has risen by seven cents in just a few days, compared with €1.683 before the crisis.

The movements track the price of crude oil. Brent, the European benchmark, opened above $97 a barrel on Monday, Sept. 7, as hostilities resumed in the Strait of Hormuz. There is little sign of a lull, with Iran’s leadership holding to its position and the White House maintaining its line two months before the midterm elections.

French motorists are the first collateral victims of the new school-year period. Le Figaro’s daily dashboard uses prices recorded at service stations across France to show where filling up remains least expensive.