Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned that the global energy industry is headed for disaster if conflict with Iran continues and the Strait of Hormuz is shut down.

“There would be catastrophic consequences for the world’s oil markets,” Nasser told reporters on an earnings call today after Aramco reported a 12% drop in 2025 annual profit. “The longer the disruption goes on,” he said, “the more drastic the consequences for the global economy.”

To protect its oil tankers from the threat of Iranian attacks, Aramco has stopped loading crude from Gulf terminals and is redirecting shipments through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, Reuters reports.

The conflict briefly pushed Brent crude to a near four-year high of $120 a barrel on Monday before retreating to $85 today – which is up from $66 in mid-February. Insurers, shipping companies and airlines are making contingency plans for wider disruptions to global supply chains.

Iranian leaders have said no oil will leave the Middle East if U.S. and Israeli attacks continue, prompting a warning ‌from President Donald Trump that the U.S. would hit Iran ⁠much harder if it continues to block exports through Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and other energy producers are raising prices to the highest levels since 2022 as the expanding conflict with Iran rattles global energy markets and disrupts shipping routes in the Gulf.

Brent crude surged during trading to around $119 a barrel, its highest level since mid-2022, amid growing fears that supplies from the Middle East could be cut off.

Natural-gas markets are also tightening as producers halt operations and traders scramble to secure alternative supplies.

The war could leave consumers and businesses worldwide facing months of higher fuel prices even if the conflict ends quickly, as suppliers grapple with damaged facilities, disrupted logistics and elevated risks to shipping, Reuters reports.

The U.S., France and other major consuming countries are discussing releasing strategic reserves while energy companies reassess shipments as the Strait of Hormuz – a key route for global oil and LNG – is effectively shut to normal traffic.

The turmoil is already spreading across global markets, forcing airlines, shipping firms and manufacturers to prepare for prolonged energy disruptions.

The trade pact negotiated last week by the UAE and Japan should strengthen Japanese auto exports by gradually removing tariffs.

The agreement calls for the UAE to eliminate duties on many finished cars from Japan within seven years, easing costs for manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan and Honda, Nippon reports.

Japanese officials say the deal will help their companies compete more effectively with South Korean automakers, whose country already has a similar trade agreement with the UAE spaced over 10 years.

The UAE has become Japan’s biggest trading partner in the Middle East and Africa, making the Gulf market increasingly important for Japanese car exports.

Qatar transported 75 competition horses and their grooms for safe refuge in Belgium after cancellation of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Doha due to the Iran conflict.

Another 63 horses are scheduled to make the crossing from Qatar to the “Horse Inn” in Liege, Belgium, this week, Equnews reports.

The Belgian facility is a hub for moving high-value sport horses for the Olympics and major tournaments, often in response to geopolitical crises.

Meanwhile, leading European trainers and owners say they will delay decisions on sending horses to the $30 million Dubai World Cup meeting, watching security developments in the Middle East before committing runners to the March 28 event, TDN reports.

Muscat International Airport has turned into a key evacuation hub from the Iran conflict for wealthy Gulf travelers, with a surge in business-jet departures.

Since Feb. 28, more than 90 private jets have departed from the normally quiet Omani airport, Bloomberg reports.

Private jet broker LunaJets received over 800 evacuation requests in 24 hours amid regional panic, arranging two large group flights from Muscat.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia have begun restoring parts of their networks with reduced schedules as regional airspace restrictions ease, warning passengers that some journeys may take longer due to rerouted flight paths.

Gulf governments are reviewing overseas investments and financial commitments as the economic strain of the Iran conflict spreads across the region.

The reassessment could affect investment pledges to foreign companies, sports sponsorships, business contracts and potential asset sales, the Financial Times reports, citing an unnamed Gulf official and industry analysts.

One avenue being examined is whether they can invoke force majeure clauses to suspend contractual obligations. Current and future investments are also being reevaluated to ease anticipated financial strain if the war continues, the newspaper reports.

The conflict is already playing havoc with the Gulf economy: shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been virtually shut down after Iranian attacks on oil tankers, Qatar suspended production at its main LNG plant following a drone strike, and Iranian attacks on regional infrastructure are disrupting air travel and tourism.

The region’s sovereign wealth funds could also scale back overseas investments or redirect capital toward national “resilience projects” if a prolonged disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz interrupts energy flows, Global SWF reports.

Under that scenario, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala would channel capital into industries supporting economic stability and supply chains, and L’imad Holding could steer funds toward logistics and security infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund would also likely slow the pace of domestic mega projects while selectively investing abroad in global technology and infrastructure, Global SWF said.

The UAE’s years-long property rally faces its first major test after Iranian missile strikes unsettled investors, sending shares in developers such as Aldar Properties and Emaar Properties down almost 5%.

The sell-off comes as analysts had already warned that a pipeline of new housing supply expected by 2028 could outpace population growth, Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, bond prices of major developers also dropped sharply, effectively shutting the debt market.

With expatriates and overseas buyers underpinning much of the market’s demand, investors say the outlook will depend largely on whether foreign appetite for property in the UAE holds up.

Container shipping giants Hapag-Lloyd and A.P. Moller-Maersk have halted bookings and begun diverting vessels away from the Middle East amid escalating security risks in the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade routes.

The moves by the two European carriers – among the world’s biggest container lines –  come as the threat of missile and drone attacks has forced shipping companies to reroute cargo or suspend transits through the narrow Gulf waterway, The Wall Street Journal reports.

More than 3,000 vessels have been stuck in Gulf ports or waiting outside the strait as insurers withdraw war-risk coverage and shipowners hesitate to send crews into what has effectively become a combat zone.

At the same time, oil shipping has begun to stall as dozens of supertankers either idle inside the Persian Gulf or slow their voyages while owners assess whether it is safe to attempt the passage, Bloomberg reports.

The disruption in the corridor that normally carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supplies has sent tanker charter rates soaring and raised fears of prolonged shocks to global supply chains.