IEA chief warns Strait of Hormuz crisis threatens global energy security

Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, has issued a stark warning regarding the stability of global energy markets, citing the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz as a critical threat. Speaking at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Birol stated that oil security remains a precarious issue and expressed concern that conditions are unlikely to improve in the immediate future.

The warning coincides with an intensification of military hostilities between the United States and Iran. The US has conducted a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iranian infrastructure, targeting cities including Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz, and Iranshahr. US forces also fired on a ship accused of attempting to break a reimposed naval blockade on Iranian ports, while Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks against US allies in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan.

Iran maintains its closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citing a lack of US commitment to a memorandum of understanding signed in Pakistan a month ago. The agreement aimed to secure a ceasefire, but tensions have escalated significantly. Iran’s military confirmed a retaliatory strike on a US military base in Jordan, while explosions were also reported in Qatar.

Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi asserted that the Strait is within the sovereignty of Iran and Oman, stating that the situation would not return to pre-war conditions. “We insist on US not to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz, and on its withdrawal from the region,” Shekarchi said, adding that no external party has the right to interfere in its affairs.

The US accuses Iran of violating the agreement by firing on commercial vessels. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Iran had brought destruction upon itself, noting that the recent strikes were a response to Iran’s breach of the MoU regarding commercial shipping. CENTCOM reported that since the reimposed blockade, five vessels attempted to run it; three were turned around and one was “disabled,” though details on how it was disabled were not provided.

Amidst the military escalation, Al Jazeera reporter Tohid Asadi reported that US attacks were increasingly targeting infrastructure, including two bridges. Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the death toll from the US attack on the Bandar-e Khamir bridge in Hormozgan province had risen to seven. Meanwhile, US Marines boarded an oil tanker, though it was unclear if the vessel remained under US detention.