--- description: With no end in sight to the war in Iran, countries are forced to find new solutions to soaring oil and gas prices. title: How Countries Are Responding to the Iran War's Emerging Energy Crisis image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03626b2671595138/69bc24475ac6315de0dd44cf/energy-response.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Climate](/section/climate/) ## Climate Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [energy](/tag/energy/) ## energy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How Countries Are Responding to the Iran War's Emerging Energy Crisis  by [Simmone Shah](/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Mar 19, 2026 5:24 PM CUT  Bangladesh implemented fuel rationing on March 8 as an energy shortage intensifies due to the war in the Middle East. Bangladesh implemented fuel rationing on March 8 as an energy shortage intensifies due to the war in the Middle East.Mamunur Rashid—Getty Images  by [Simmone Shah](/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Mar 19, 2026 5:24 PM CUT Oil and [gas prices](https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/gas-groceries-war-in-iran-cost-of-living-crisis/ "undefined") are soaring as the [U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran](https://time.com/7382631/iran-israel-us-war-explainer-trump-middle-east/ "undefined") continues into its third week. The shutdown of a critical passageway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, known as the [Strait of Hormuz](https://time.com/article/2026/03/17/what-is-the-strait-of-hormuz-global-trade-oil-flow-iran-war/ "undefined"), is leaving countries around the world on edge as critical [fuel supplies](https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/asia-us-israel-iran-war-gas-prices-economy-hormuz/ "undefined") dwindle. On March 18, Israel attacked the world’s largest natural gas field, prompting Iran to launch retaliatory strikes on natural gas facilities in Qatar. Trump has [vowed](https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/19/middleeast/iran-qatar-south-pars-gas-field-explainer-intl "undefined") that the U.S. would “[massively blow up](https://time.com/article/2026/03/19/trump-israel-attack-south-pars-gas-field/ "undefined")” the South Pars gas field if Iran continues attacks on Qatar's energy facilities. With no clear end in sight, the situation is pushing nations to find creative solutions to weather an energy crisis. A number of Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, export liquified natural gas (LNG) and [oil](https://time.com/article/2026/03/10/ioil-prices-iran-republicans-lose-house-hakeem-jeffries/ "undefined") through the Strait of Hormuz. In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil and oil products passed through the Strait each day, according to the [International Energy Agency](https://www.iea.org/about/oil-security-and-emergency-response/strait-of-hormuz "undefined") (IEA), while approximately 20% of global LNG trade used the trade route before the conflict broke out. But with the passageway effectively shut down by Iran, there is no viable alternative for Gulf states looking to export their energy. So far, the bottleneck has meant higher prices around the globe. The price of crude oil has jumped to above $100 per barrel on several occasions since the conflict broke out on Feb. 28, with prices briefly topping $119 following escalations on Wednesday night. However, as the conflict drags on, a number of countries are beginning to impose stricter measures to conserve energy resources—from shortening the work week to imposing blackouts. Here’s how countries are responding to the emerging energy crisis. ## **Sri Lanka** In an effort to conserve fuel, the island nation has declared every Wednesday a public holiday. The mandate will apply to most workers, schools, and universities, but exempts state institutions providing essential services, like hospitals. Studies have shown that introducing a four-day work week [comes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/08/08/4-day-workweek-environment/ "undefined") with significant energy saving benefits. The country also implemented a fuel rationing system last Sunday, limiting motorists to 15 liters (3.96 gallons) of petrol or diesel a week, while public transport was allocated up to 200 liters (52.8 gallons). "We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best," President Anura Kumara Dissanayake [said](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g5n58rlnzo "undefined") on Monday. ## **European Union** After the war in Ukraine broke out, significantly impacting energy resources in the E.U., the bloc began requiring member states to keep gas reserves at 90% capacity ahead of the winter season when households use the most energy. But after facing a blistering winter this year, many of those reserves are [under 30%](https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-fear-panic-buy-gas-reserves-low-energy-war-iran/ "undefined"), the lowest since 2022\. With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, it could be difficult for member states to build up their supplies; 6% of Europe’s LNG supply passes through the Strait. The E.U. has so far refrained from deploying emergency measures, instead [focusing on](https://www.politico.eu/article/pressure-eu-response-energy-crisis-iran-war/ "undefined") existing, long-term plans to diversify energy supplies, reduce demand for fossil fuels, and expand local renewables, though [_Politico_](https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-considers-relaxing-state-aid-and-capping-gas-price-to-bring-down-energy-bills/ "undefined") reports that the bloc may soon look into loosening state aid rules and capping the price of gas to help member states weather the crisis. ## **Bangladesh** Bangladesh, whose economy relies heavily on garment factories that export clothing globally, is already beginning to [impose](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/business/iran-bangladesh-imported-gas.html "undefined") energy saving measures to help keep the lights on in factories. Half of the country’s electricity is powered by gas—a third of which is imported.The country has announced early Ramadan holidays, shutting down university campuses to save electricity, and started imposing temporary blackouts. ## **Egypt** Beginning on March 28, malls, restaurants, and retailers will begin shutting at 9 p.m. on weekdays, a big shift for Egypt, a country accustomed to shopping and dining late into the night. The country also plans to turn off illuminated billboards and reduce public lighting, and government buildings will also close by 6 p.m. In addition, the government is considering imposing a work-from-home mandate for one or two days a week. “We need to begin to ration the amounts of fuel and electricity we’re using,” Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly [said](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-18/egypt-to-dim-lights-early-to-conserve-energy-amid-iran-war "undefined") on Wednesday, noting that the plan will be reviewed after a month and reversed if the crisis ends. ## **Kenya** Kenya typicallyonly holds 21 days worth of fuel stocks in its reserves, making it vulnerable to any supply disruptions. Martin Chomba, chairman of the Petroleum Outlets Association of Kenya, told [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-18/iran-war-triggers-hunt-to-secure-new-fuel-supplies-in-africa "undefined") that the country’s biggest fuel suppliers are rationing products, with rural areas already running out of supplies. ## **United Kingdom** Michael Shanks, the U.K.’s energy minister, has [maintained](https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/0744e7cf-33c1-4414-8d54-1090b71a3875 "undefined") that the country has, “very strong energy supplies from a diverse range of sources.” Despite the security in energy supplies, the country is still likely to see an increase in prices at the pump. “There is no question that the situation in the Middle East and the uncertainty that that brings does have an impact on price and that’s why, really clearly, the Government has said look, we will fight the corner of consumers,” Shanks [told](https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/0744e7cf-33c1-4414-8d54-1090b71a3875 "undefined") the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee on Tuesday. “We will do everything we can to first of all de-escalate the situation … but secondly to provide support wherever we can.” ## **United States** For American drivers, gas prices have climbed nearly 30% since the start of the war. On Wednesday, the average national gas price in the U.S. rose to $3.84 a gallon, up from $2.92 a month ago, according to [AAA](https://gasprices.aaa.com/ "undefined"). The price of a gallon of diesel has [shot up to more than $5](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/diesel-prices-5-dollars-gallon-economic-impact/ "undefined"), the highest since late 2022. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has [warned](https://abcnews.com/Politics/energy-secretary-wright-war-iran-end-weeks/story?id=131082819 "undefined") that there is “no guarantee” that oil prices will fall in the coming weeks, despite President Donald Trump’s commitment that the United States will try to force Iran to stop attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The administration has said that they will continue the attacks until Iran surrenders unconditionally. “Whatever the time is, it’s OK, whatever it takes,” President Trump said at the beginning of [March](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/whatever-takes-trump-says-iran-operation-last-month-longer-rcna261324 "undefined") when estimating how long the war would go on. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/19/countries-responding-to-iran-war-energy-crisis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/19/countries-responding-to-iran-war-energy-crisis/"},"headline":"How Countries Are Responding to the Iran War's Emerging Energy Crisis","datePublished":"2026-03-19T17:24:38.936Z","dateModified":"2026-03-19T17:24:39.200Z","description":"With no end in sight to the war in Iran, countries are forced to find new solutions to soaring oil and gas prices.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/19/countries-responding-to-iran-war-energy-crisis/","keywords":["energy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03626b2671595138/69bc24475ac6315de0dd44cf/energy-response.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simmone Shah","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03626b2671595138/69bc24475ac6315de0dd44cf/energy-response.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"energy-response.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Mamunur Rashid—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/energy/","name":"energy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/19/countries-responding-to-iran-war-energy-crisis/","name":"How Countries Are Responding to the Iran War's Emerging Energy Crisis"}}]}] ```