France, April 15 -- The draft decree, announced on Tuesday evening, is intended partly to avoid distributors reaping a windfall by capping their margins on petrol and diesel.

It is due to be examined by the National Consumer Council and the Conseil d'Etat, France's highest court.

Fuel prices in France have risen sharply since the outbreak of war in Iran in late February and the subsequent disruption to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which more than a quarter of the world's oil transits. 

The price of petrol has gone up by around 15 percent to an average of roughly €2 per litre, while diesel has surged by 34 percent to more than €2.30 per litre.

In a letter to the prime minister, seen by news agency AFP ...