War on Iran sparks gas theft epidemic
Posted on: Apr 21, 2026 21:00 IST | Posted by: Rt
A undulation of “ occupy up and take flight” criminal offense is wholesale petrol stations across the UK, while American drivers are waking up to drilled-through tanks and drained fuel as the US-Israeli war on Iran has sparked a spike in oil and gas prices across the globe, according to media reports and industry watchdogs.
The crisis has been mostly triggered by the de-facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply. The situation has been exacerbated by Iranian retaliatory strikes on the Gulf energy infrastructure – although the attacks have now been paused as part of a tentative US-Iran truce.
Petrol prices in the UK have surged to over £1.58 ($2.14) a liter on average, up from £1.33 before the war, according to the Royal Automobile Club. Rising prices encouraged a 27% increase in drive-off thefts, according to a crime prevention watchdog Forecourt Eye.
A study by the body, which was based on data from around 500 petrol stations across England, Scotland and Wales, found more than 6,500 liters of fuel were stolen every day in March, a 15.7% rise from February. It also calculated that if this data is extrapolated nationwide, petrol stations would be losing around £1.25m ($1.69 million) each week.
“At current fuel costs, motorists deliberately evading paying for fuel is costing the sector more than £100m a year,” Claire Nichol, executive director of the British Oil Security Syndicate, told The Sun, adding that operators should be “extra vigilant during peak periods.”
The picture is the same across the Atlantic. As of Monday, the American Automobile Association pegged the US national average at over $4 per gallon and up to $6 in California. Before the war, the AAA average was less than $3.
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