President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that his negotiating team will not travel to Pakistan for a second round of ceasefire talks with Iran. The decision confirms the collapse of the diplomatic effort to end the US-Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to safe navigation.
Why it matters: every day the Hormuz crisis continues, South Africa’s May fuel bill grows larger. The country now faces a near-certain record diesel hike.
What changed
Trump had dispatched envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad earlier this week. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian pre-empted the meeting by stating Tehran will not enter “forced negotiations” while the US maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump said the team would handle discussions by telephone instead, citing long travel times. The move marks a significant downgrade from the face-to-face talks that produced a short-lived ceasefire on 8 April.
The oil price chain
Brent crude is trading above $94 per barrel, up 10% from last week. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20% of global seaborne oil. Iran has seized ships, imposed transit tolls, and the US has redirected 37 vessels enforcing a blockade.
Saudi Arabia supplies most of South Africa’s fuel. The combination of elevated crude prices, a weakened rand near R17 to the dollar, and higher shipping costs has pushed all three inputs of SA’s fuel price formula in the wrong direction.
What South Africans face
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources will announce May fuel adjustments on 6 May. Current projections show diesel increasing by up to R8.07 per litre and petrol by up to R2.63 per litre.
The temporary R3-per-litre fuel levy reduction introduced on 1 April expires on 5 May. Unless Finance Minister Godongwana extends the relief, motorists will absorb both the levy restoration and the Iran-driven increase simultaneously.
South Africa’s diesel-dependent logistics system means the price shock extends beyond the pump. Food transport, farming, and mining all run on diesel. The Automobile Association warned that the combined May adjustment could be the largest single-month increase ever implemented in the country.