Oil Prices Soon to Reflect Severity of War Crisis, IEA Says

Recovery for Damaged Energy Facilities Could Take Two Years

Fatih Birol
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol speaks at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on March 23. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)

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Oil prices don’t yet reflect the severity of the unprecedented supply crisis caused by the Iran war, but they soon will, the head of the International Energy Agency said.

About 13 million barrels a day of oil supply have been shuttered by the conflict and the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council.

More than 80 energy facilities have been damaged during the hostilities, and a recovery could take as long as two years, he warned.

The Paris-based agency has already described the current supply disruption as thebiggest in history.



“Prices are already high, but they are not reflecting the severity of the problem — I agree there is a disconnect,” Birol said. “But I think soon we will see they will converge, which is an extremely sensitive issue for the global economy.”

Oil futures are trading near $100 a barrel in London, which marks a rally of roughly 64% since the start of the year but is still considerably below the levels reached after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, or the records set in 2008.

Last month, IEA members such as the U.S., Japan and Germany agreed an unprecedented release ofemergency oil stockpilesto help calm markets.

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