LIVE: War Has Halted Gulf Oil Flow -- And Restarting It Won't Be Easy
Mojtaba's father, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in joint US-Israel strikes on February 28
PARIS, France, March 13, 2026 (AFP) - The war in the Middle East has largely paralysed the Gulf region's crucial oil industry, which has been hit by attacks and an export blockade.
The war has forced companies to dramatically slow or even halt production -- and restarting it will not be easy, even when the war is over.
- What has been targeted? -
Since the war started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, at least 33 strikes or attempted strikes have targeted energy infrastructure in the Middle East, according to an AFP tally.
The United States and Israel carried out 13 of them against Iran.
The other 20, which struck seven Gulf countries, were attributed to Iran.
The strikes mostly hit oil and gas fields or complexes, such as the massive Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia, Ras Laffan gas processing base in Qatar and the complex housing the Ruwais refinery in the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has also effectively blocked the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the usual shipping lane for around 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas output.
- Why is production down? -
Some infrastructure has been damaged.
Other facilities have closed or reduced activity as a precaution, such as Ruwais.
The near-closure of the strait has also had a major impact.
Gulf countries' output of oil and oil products has plunged from 30 million barrels per day last year, excluding Oman, to 20 million currently, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
It said the amount passing through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to less than 10 percent of pre-war levels.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pipelines that can send some oil beyond the region, but their capacity is limited.
The result is storage facilities that are full to the brim.
"That's the main issue at the moment," an industry insider told AFP.
"Since there aren't enough ships to empty the storage facilities and export the product, suppliers have to stop production."
There is no easy fix, warned Pankaj Srivastava, a commodities expert at Rystad Energy.
"With crude supply increasingly stranded in the Gulf, refiners may soon be forced to adjust operations, curtailing runs as product exports stall and directing output solely to domestic markets," he said.
- How long to restart? -
"Depending how they were shut down, (restarting refineries) can take a week or two to reach full output," said the industry insider.
For oil wells, it is simpler: "You just reopen the valve."
According to the IEA, "upstream production will take weeks and, in some cases, months, to return to pre-crisis levels", depending on the site.
And "in the absence of a full ceasefire, ship owners, charterers, insurers, and crew will need to see robust security measures" to return to the strait, such as armed escorts, it added.
It said a traffic management system may need to be created to handle the massive backlog when traffic resumes in the strait, estimating it would take "several days to weeks" to clear.
Hinting at voter anxieties in the U.S. as the conflict in the Middle East continues, the president said the economy and American life will soon return to what it was before he launched strikes on Iran.
“This will bounce right back when it’s over, and I don’t think it’s going to be long,” Trump said in his interview with Fox News personality Brian Kilmeade.
Asked when the war will be over, Trump responded: “When I feel it — when I feel it in my bones.”
-All 6 crew aboard US KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq are dead, US military says. The American KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while a second plane involved in the incident landed safely, the US military said Thursday. "One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement.
Iran's military however said in a statement carried by state TV that an allied group in Iraq had downed the aircraft with a missile, killing all its crew.
- Israel's military said Thursday that it had struck a site in Iran it claimed was being used by the Islamic republic to develop nuclear weapons. Read more here.
Live Updates
- 13 March 2026 9:31 PM IST
Over 100 children have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Lebanese Health Ministry says
That’s according to a toll released Friday by Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
It says a total of 773 people have been killed during the latest conflict. Sixty-two women are among those killed, and over 1,900 people have been wounded, according to the ministry. — AP
- 13 March 2026 9:30 PM IST
Iraq is caught in the crossfire of the Iran war, with attacks by both sides on its soil
Unlike other Middle Eastern states touched by the war, Iraq hosts both entrenched Iran-aligned forces and significant U.S. interests. As in past upheavals, Iraqis have learned to adapt to daily violence that intrudes on everyday life.
But Iraq’s economy depends overwhelmingly on oil, so the longer the conflict lasts, the greater the risk that economic shocks, political paralysis and friction with Iran‑backed militias will combine to unravel Iraq’s hard‑won relative stability.
The government might not be able to meet its oversized public‑sector payroll as soon as next month, risking widespread unrest, two Iraqi Kurdish officials said.
In the meantime, a parallel conflict to the wider war has escalated between Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups and the U.S. — near-daily drone strikes have targeted American interests across the country, while the U.S. has struck back against militia bases to defend its troops. — AP
- 13 March 2026 8:42 PM IST
Trump dismisses Ukraine’s effort to help US defend against Iranian drones
“No, we don’t need their help on drone defense,” Trump said in the Fox News Radio interview that aired Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the U.S. sought out Ukraine’s help in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, which Russia has been firing at Ukraine in their war. — AP
- 13 March 2026 8:41 PM IST
German chancellor wants a ‘convincing plan’ for ending the war
Friedrich Merz spoke Friday alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at military exercises in Norway.
Merz said the world is witnessing “a dangerous escalation,” and said Iran is “indiscriminately” carrying out attacks on countries across the Gulf region.
“With every day this war lasts, more questions are coming up, more than can be answered yet,” Merz said. “And one thing becomes increasingly clear, we need a convincing plan on how this war can come to an end.” — AP
- 13 March 2026 8:17 PM IST
Trump says he’ll consider waiving ‘restrictive’ shipping law
Asked if he would consider suspending the 1920s Jones Act that aims to protect U.S. jobs, Trump said “we’ll take a look at everything.”
The Jones Act requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels. It’s often blamed for making gas more expensive.
In an interview on Fox News Radio that aired Friday, Trump called it a “restrictive act” but also acknowledged it has “tremendous support” in Congress. — AP
- 13 March 2026 8:16 PM IST
Another Israeli airstrike kills at least 8 people in Lebanon
Eight were killed and nine others were wounded in the strike in the southern coastal city of Sidon, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Friday.
The number will likely rise as civil defense workers search the rubble. It’s unclear what Israel’s target was in the morning strike.
Since the Israel-Hezbollah war started in March, nearly 700 people have been killed and more than 1,700 wounded, the ministry said. — AP
- 13 March 2026 8:13 PM IST
Trump says no operation is in place to seize Iran’s enriched uranium, but that could change
The president said, “No, not at all,” when asked if the U.S. would attempt to retrieve the material, which is believed to be buried underground in Iran.
“We’re not focused on that,” Trump said. “But at some point, we might be.” — AP
- 13 March 2026 7:52 PM IST
Israeli warplanes drop leaflets over Beirut, causing panic
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Israeli planes dropping propaganda leaflets over Beirut on Friday caused a number of loud booms in the sky, terrifying residents of the Lebanese capital.
AFP correspondents heard four successive booms at short intervals, before clouds of paper leaflets appeared high in the air.
State media said the noise was "caused by Israeli aircraft flying at a very low altitude and dropping leaflets over a number of areas, specifically in Verdun, Hamra, and Ain al-Mreisseh", western Beirut neighbourhoods.
One of the leaflets, addressed to the Lebanese people, said: "You must disarm Hezbollah, Iran's shield", and "Lebanon is your decision, not someone else's."
The leaflets included a QR code, along with the line: "Unit 504 is working to secure the future of Lebanon and its people."
Unit 504 is an Israeli military intelligence unit. Leaflet drops have been a tactic also used in Gaza.
Lebanon's military in a statement warned citizens "against scanning the codes and clicking on these links", citing "legal and security risks, as well as the potential for hacking mobile phones and accessing personal data". — AFP
- 13 March 2026 7:50 PM IST
Trump again suggests the U.S. is holding off from escorting ships through Strait of Hormuz
Trump, in an interview on Fox News Radio that aired Friday, said that when it comes to the U.S. Navy escorting ships through the shipping lane, “We would do it if we need to.”
“Hopefully things are going to go very well,” Trump said. — AP
- 13 March 2026 7:45 PM IST
UAE says it ‘engaged’ with 7 ballistic missiles and 27 drones from Iran
The United Arab Emirates said the strikes were launched from Iran on Friday amid continuous air attacks targeting U.S. bases in the Gulf.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said on X that since “blatant Iranian aggression” began in the ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel, its defense systems have “engaged” with 285 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,567 drones. — AP
