US news | The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-06 · by Joanna Partridge and Alex Daniel
Farmers in the UK and US are facing a significant increase in fuel prices due to a surge in crude oil costs following renewed fighting between the US and Iran. The price of diesel has risen by 10-14p per litre since Monday, with red diesel now costing around £1.10 per litre, up from about 10% in just a few days. In the UK, the average price of diesel for motorists has reached 183.5p per litre, while in the US, diesel prices at the pump have hit an all-time high of $5.85 a gallon. Fuel buyer Alex Harrison describes the price increase as "astronomical", with farmers struggling to decide how much fuel to buy and when due to the volatility in oil wholesale markets.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Farmers in the UK and US are facing extremely high fuel costs due to renewed tensions between the US and Iran, which has driven up the price of crude oil. The price of diesel has increased by 10% in just a few days, with red diesel - used for agricultural vehicles and machinery - now costing around £1.10 per litre, up from £1.00. The average price of diesel for UK motorists has risen to 183.5p per litre, while US diesel prices at the pump have reached an all-time high of $5.85 per gallon. This surge in fuel costs is expected to hit farmers particularly hard, with some farms relying on expensive heating oil for buildings and equipment. The price increase is around 10-14p per litre since Monday, according to Fram Farmers' fuel buyer Alex Harrison. The market prices are being pushed up by a combination of factors, including Russia's extension of its ban on diesel exports and the intensification of Middle East hostilities over the weekend.
Written for “Fuel Price Crisis Affects Farmers” on 2026-09-07,
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 5560 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-06
Farmers are facing an “astronomical” jump in the price of fuel needed to operate their vehicles and machinery after a surge in diesel costs in the UK and the US.
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Farmers → face → UK
Renewed fighting between the US and Iran has driven up the price of crude oil, while last week Russia extended a ban on diesel exports, further pushing up market prices.
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Russia → drive → prices
An intensification of Middle East hostilities over the weekend pushed fuel costs even higher for farmers, said Alex Harrison, a fuel buyer at Fram Farmers, a not-for-profit farmer-owned co-operative.
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Harrison → push → profit
The price of all fuels had gone up by “an astronomical amount in just a few days”, she said, rising by between 10p and 14p a litre since Monday.
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she → go → Monday
This represents about a 10% increase in the cost of red diesel – fuel used for agricultural vehicles and machinery that is taxed at a lower rate to standard diesel – which currently costs about £1.10 a litre.
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which → represent → 1.10
The average price of diesel for UK motorists had climbed to 183.5p a litre on Thursday, according to government data, up from 164.5p in mid-July.
uncertain
price → climb → July
On Friday, US diesel prices at the pump reached an all-time high of $5.85 a gallon compared with an average of $3.71 a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association.
uncertain
prices → reach → Association
The figure outstripped the previous high that followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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that → outstrip → 2022
The volatility in oil wholesale markets has left farmers struggling to decide how much fuel to buy and when, with many calling for advice from Fram Farmers, which represents more than 1,400 farm businesses across the UK.
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which → leave → UK
While the harvest peak demand for red diesel and other fuels has passed, many growers traditionally buy more fuel at this time of year as they begin to prepare their land for winter.
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they → pass → winter
“This latest spike has really caught everybody by surprise and hit them quite hard because it’s been such a large spike and because of the time of year,” Harrison said.
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Harrison → catch → year
Farmers are “trying to decide what’s best to do, how to order for [managing their] cashflow”.
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what → try → cashflow
The co-operative’s members have changed their buying patterns since the outbreak of war in Iran sent oil prices soaring.
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prices → change → Iran
Harrison said: “A lot of people have ordered in much smaller increments and more often, as they are trying to hedge their bets a little.”
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they → say → bets
The rise in diesel prices comes amid a squeeze on global refining capacity.
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rise → come → capacity
Russia, which normally supplies about 10% of the world’s diesel despite western sanctions, has been hit by Ukrainian drone attacks on its refineries in August, prompting the export ban extension.
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which → supply → extension
That has been compounded by a wider increase in the price of crude oil.
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That → compound → oil
The international benchmark Brent crude was trading at close to $97 a barrel on Thursday, its highest point in about six weeks.
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crude → trade → weeks
Two Saudi supertankers were hit in the strait of Hormuz late on Monday, fuelling concerns of a longer-term return to hostilities.
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supertankers → hit → hostilities
Tehran warned that it would prevent oil being exported from the Gulf despite a threat by Donald Trump to hit Iran “hard” in response to the Iranian strikes.
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oil → warn → strikes
Small businesses and larger companies that rely on vehicle fleets, such as delivery firms and construction companies, will also face higher running costs as a result.
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that → rely → result
Back in the UK, the price of paraffin, or heating oil – widely used on farms to heat buildings including farmhouses and barns – is also higher, at a time of year when many households, mostly in rural communities that are not connected to the gas network, would usually be starting to think about filling their tanks ahead of the winter.
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that → use → winter
The current price for paraffin is close to £1 a litre compared with prices of about 60p a litre just before the Iran war.
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price → compare → war
