Britain’s competition watchdog has placed fuel retailers on notice over potential profiteering as rising global oil prices linked to the Iran war begin to push petrol and diesel costs higher across the United Kingdom.

The Competition and Markets Authority has stepped up monitoring of the country’s fuel market, warning that retailers must ensure price increases reflect genuine changes in wholesale costs rather than opportunistic profit-taking during a period of geopolitical tension.

Authorities have requested detailed data from fuel companies to assess whether recent pump price rises are justified.

The warning follows a sharp increase in global crude prices triggered by the expanding conflict in the Middle East.

Brent crude surged during the crisis, contributing to rising fuel costs across Europe and intensifying pressure on household budgets already affected by inflation.

In the UK, petrol prices have risen by around five and a half percent since the conflict escalated, while diesel has increased by more than eleven percent over the same period.

For drivers, this equates to roughly seven pence per litre more for petrol and about sixteen pence per litre for diesel at the pump.

The watchdog is particularly examining the possibility of so-called “rocket and feather” pricing, a pattern in which pump prices rise quickly when wholesale costs increase but fall much more slowly when those costs decline.

Regulators say such behaviour can indicate weak competition or unjustified margins in the retail fuel market.

Government ministers have also become involved in the issue, with senior officials planning discussions with fuel retailers to emphasise that motorists should not be unfairly burdened by price spikes connected to the geopolitical crisis.

At the same time, authorities acknowledge that energy markets are experiencing genuine volatility.

The conflict has disrupted oil flows and created uncertainty around key supply routes, including the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a passage through which a significant share of global oil shipments normally travels.

Consumer groups have highlighted wide variations in pump prices between different regions and even between stations operated by the same companies.

These discrepancies have intensified calls for greater transparency and stronger regulatory oversight of fuel pricing.

The Competition and Markets Authority has indicated it will continue gathering information from retailers and could take enforcement action if evidence emerges that companies are exploiting the crisis.

Officials say the investigation forms part of a broader effort to ensure fair competition in the fuel market and to protect consumers from unjustified price increases during a period of international instability.