Canada’s inflation rate rose to three per cent in July, as renewed hostilities in the Middle East sent prices at the gas pumps back up again.

According to new Statistics Canada data, the price of gas grew more quickly in July, at 25.7 per cent on a yearly basis, compared to June, when gas prices grew at a rate of 20.5 per cent.

The blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and partial closure of shipping routes in the Red Sea were to blame for the pressure on energy prices, the data agency said. A month before, peace talks brought a brief stop to the fighting in the Middle East, which helped cool gas prices and contributed to an ease in inflation to 2.8 per cent in June.

Excluding gas, the consumer price index rose 2.2 per cent in July for a third consecutive month, Statistics Canada said.

The three per cent figure is just above what economists had been predicting. Heading into Monday’s release, most economists had expected inflation would rise just a tick to 2.9 per cent.

Costs for travel tours also spiked in July, according to Statistics Canada, with pricier hotels and flights to U.S. destinations amid the FIFA World Cup contributing to the increase.

Higher jet fuel costs also put upward pressure on air transportation prices — which rose 12 per cent year-over-year in July, compared to 9.6 per cent in June.

Prices for food, on the other hand, helped offset cost pressures. Inflation for food bought from stores cooled to 3.1 per cent in July, down from 3.9 per cent in the previous month.

Slower growth for fresh vegetables, chicken and cereal products helped lower food prices overall. Fresh fruit, meanwhile, accelerated to 6.1 per cent, as costs for berries and melons especially soared.

Despite the positive food figures for the month, Statistics Canada noted that grocery price inflation has now outpaced the all-items consumer price index for 18 months in a row.