Despite being advised not to engage in panic buying, drivers in the United Kingdom are lining up at gas stations, fearing that gasoline prices may rise due to the attacks on Iran.
In the early hours of Saturday, February 28, the United States, together with Israel, launched attacks on Iran, which led Iranian forces to respond with bombings in Israel and in U.S. allies in the Middle East.
Iran also announced that it had blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trade route through which a large portion of the oil bound for countries around the world passes.
Fearing that prices may rise drastically, drivers in the United Kingdom are trying to refuel their vehicles before a possible global oil crisis.
According to Metro, there are long lines of cars outside some gas stations in the United Kingdom.
Forecourt Trader reported that these lines of drivers are forming at Costco locations, where gasoline is usually cheaper and typically sees heavier traffic.
Metro spoke with several gas station operators who said they had seen a higher volume of customers, but that it has been a “steady flow, rather than people forming lines that stretch out onto the road.”
The head of policy at the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), Simon Williams, stated that the conflict in the Middle East has the “potential to raise pump prices in the United Kingdom,” but emphasized that “it is not a certainty.”
“We really shouldn’t see a sharp jump in pump prices, since wholesale fuel costs had only been rising gradually in recent weeks,” he said.
He encouraged retailers not to increase the price of gasoline that is already being sold at station forecourts.
Source and images: Pexels. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
