The Big Fuel Lie: Why Are We Paying the Price for a War That Has Nothing to Do With Our Oil?

The government expects you to believe a very simple lie: Fuel prices had to skyrocket because of the 2026 Iran War, and therefore, there is nothing they can do about the crushing cost of living. They point to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and tell you that international forces are to blame.

But when you look at the cold, hard facts of where Ireland actually gets its fuel, the government’s excuses fall apart.

Ireland does not rely on Iran for fuel. We do not buy crude oil from the Gulf States. The overwhelming majority of the crude oil imported into this state—over 75%—comes directly from the United States, with a significant chunk of the remainder coming from Norway. As for refined petroleum, the petrol and diesel you actually put in your car, the vast majority comes across the water from Great Britain.

Our supply chain is rooted in the North Sea, the Atlantic, and the UK. Yet, the moment a conflict breaks out in the Middle East, the Irish government throws its hands up, watches the global price gouging take effect, and allows Irish citizens to foot the bill.

The Government's Tax Grab

The true scandal isn't just that global markets dictate the price; it is that the Irish State capitalizes on it. When global prices spiked, driving average diesel and petrol prices to over €2 and €1.80 per litre respectively, the government raked in the profits. Taxes account for roughly 57% of the price of petrol and 48% of the price of diesel at the pump.

When the April protests broke out—when farmers, hauliers, and workers blockaded O’Connell Street and the Whitegate refinery because they were being financially ruined—what did the State do? They eventually offered temporary excise cuts, a mere drop in the ocean compared to the massive tax revenues they collect.

But even those small mercies are a sham. Just recently, the Dáil was recalled from its summer holidays to debate restoring those very excise duties—meaning they fully intended to slap a massive tax hike back onto petrol and diesel right as winter approaches. They only delayed it until November because they were terrified of public backlash, not because they suddenly cared about your wallet.

The State is using international crises as a smokescreen to maintain a punitive tax regime on its own people. You are being bled dry not by a foreign conflict, but by a domestic government that treats the motorist as an endless source of revenue.