Europe’s energy turmoil tied to the Iran war is prompting renewed pressure on governments to shift costs through windfall taxes as fuel and electricity prices strain households. Finance ministers from Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Austria urged the EU to impose a bloc-wide windfall tax on energy companies, citing market distortions and inflation risk. In their letter to the European Commission, the ministers said the conflict has increased oil and gas prices and created a burden that must be distributed “fairly.” They pointed to the EU’s earlier “solidarity contribution” after the Ukraine-related energy shock, including profit caps, and asked for a similar instrument. The push arrives as Iran’s effective chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt tanker traffic—threatening longer-lasting price instability in fuel markets. The EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned this disruption is unlikely to normalize “in a foreseeable future.” For universities operating on energy-sensitive budgets and research supply chains, the development intensifies uncertainty around operating costs, inflation expectations, and the downstream effect on student affordability.