Gas stations warn of higher fuel prices due to Middle East conflict

The Catalan gas station association, Agrucaes, warns that the war in the Middle East has been taking its toll on fuel prices since last weekend, with diesel increasing by 20% and gasoline by 16% in just four days.

According to Albert Campabadal, president of Agrucaes, the price increase has been gradual since Sunday, with small daily rises and prices expected to continue climbing.

This has also led to a surge in fuel demand, as consumers rush to fill their tanks before another price increase.

The main explanation of this is Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel.

The waterway is considered one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, with roughly one fifth of global oil supply passing through it.

Despite the turmoil, Campabadal says the situation is far less severe than during the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, when dependence on Russia was significantly higher.

"Right now, there is much greater diversification of supply, and what we receive from the Persian Gulf accounts for between 10% and 20%, so the impact is smaller than it was then," Campabadal says.

Agrucaes predicts that by the end of the week, the price increases will begin to slow down.

Official data

According to official data from March 4 collected by Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition through its gas station geoportal, the price of 95 E5 gasoline climbed to €1.56 per liter on Wednesday in Catalonia, an increase of 5.26% in one week.

Diesel A prices have risen even more, reaching €1.544 per liter, 8.12% higher than the previous Wednesday.

The price increase recorded in Catalonia was slightly higher than the Spanish average: up 5% to €1.55 per liter.

For diesel, the difference is more noticeable: Prices across Spain have increased 7.6% in a week, reaching €1.541 per liter as of Wednesday.

Gasoline reached an average of €1.664 per liter across the European Union's 27 member states on Monday, 1.65% higher than the previous week and the highest level since March 2025.