Fuel prices in France have surged following Israeli-American strikes on Iran, reaching one-year highs. The government is closely monitoring the situation and has summoned distributors to verify price adjustments. TotalEnergies maintains a cap at 1.99 euros per liter in several stations.
The war in the Middle East, triggered by the first Israeli-American strikes on Tehran on February 27, 2026, has caused a surge in fuel prices across France. According to Economy Ministry data, on Wednesday March 5, the average price of SP95-E10 was 1.7858 euros per liter, up nearly 7 centimes from the previous Friday. Diesel, more affected, reached 1.8820 euros per liter, an increase of over 16 centimes. SP98 stood at 1.8917 euros and SP95 at 1.8367 euros.
In Paris and the surrounding region, prices often exceed 2 euros per liter, with 30% of stations selling diesel at that rate or higher. This sharp rise, correlated with the Brent crude surge, is fueling driver concerns. In the Var department, a station manager reported: “by late Monday evening, we had nothing left. People are afraid of the price increase. Everyone is filling up their tanks…”.
Despite this, TotalEnergies is maintaining its price cap at 1.99 euros per liter for diesel and SP98, introduced in 2023 and applied in dozens of stations, such as in Chatou (Yvelines), Paris, or Collobrières (Var). The government, through Ministers Roland Lescure, Serge Papin, and Maud Bregeon, summoned major distributors including TotalEnergies, Carrefour, and Auchan on Thursday March 6 to ensure pump prices accurately reflect oil barrel fluctuations.
Dominique Schelcher, head of Coopérative U, defended distributor margins: “they are just a few centimes per liter, regardless of the base price: we suffer these increases as much as the end customer.” The government is currently refusing to compensate the rise with aid, calling RN proposals to mitigate the impact through tax adjustments “precipitate and even political.”
