Iran war: How the crisis in key Strait of Hormuz waterway is affecting fuel supplies for different countries

Fears of fuel shortages have been sparked recently as the number of tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz was reduced to a trickle amid threats from Iran, which experts say effectively controls the waterway.

Now some of those concerns are coming to fruition with several countries experiencing shortages.

Normally, about a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies flow through the strait but since the start of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February shipping has almost come to a standstill.

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Iranian retaliatory attacks have forced vessels to stay put, causing petrostate storage facilities to fill and some production to cease.

More than 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum liquids per day normally transit the Strait of Hormuz, but daily traffic is reportedly down by about 95%. However, some ships linked to Pakistan, China and India are being allowed through by Iran.

But the impacts of supply disruption are showing up in some countries and not just in higher prices.

Mainland Europe

The risk of jet fuel shortages hitting in early May and June has been highlighted by the head of Europe's biggest airline, Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary, who spoke to Sky News.

Already in Italy, however, there are temporary restrictions on fuel supplies at four airports.

President of the Italian Civilian Aviation Authority, Pierluigi Di Palma, however, said this was primarily due to increased air traffic during the Easter holidays.

"The Middle East conflict is not yet a current issue, nor does it overlap with the fuel supply issue," he told Italian media.

The elevated cost of fuel has led to some airline cancellations. Scandinavian airline SAS said last month it would cancel at least 1,000 flights in April due to surging aviation costs.

Meanwhile, in France, just under one in five petrol stations (18%) were on Tuesday morning lacking some ​kind of fuel, according to French junior ​energy ‌minister Maud Bregeon.

The UK

While supplies have not been disrupted in the UK, some petrol stations have had pumps out of service.

A boss of Asda, the UK's second-largest fuel retailer, warned at the end of March of "temporary shortages".

Asda's executive chair, Allan Leighton, said it had been experiencing high demand from drivers and "the odd pump" would be affected as demand outpaced supply.

Supply has remained stable but speaking to Sky News, a former BP executive, Nick Butler, said the government should be "seriously planning how they're going to handle" potential outages.

Some corners of the world have struggled more, particularly less wealthy nations. While dozens of countries have brought in fuel use curbs as well as increased production measures and are managing, others are affected by low stocks.

Read more: How countries are dealing with rising oil and gas prices

The Americas

Peru has faced the double impact of a gas pipe rupture and Iran war-related supply difficulty, leading the government to implement emergency measures, and the UK government advising against all but essential travel to parts of Peru.

Similarly, Cuba has been hit doubly hard by the supply shock. Since January, it has been impacted by supply difficulties after the Trump administration blocked oil supplies from entering the country.

In the US, the average price for a gallon of gasoline topped $4 on Tuesday last week for the first time since 2022, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Asia

In South Korea, people have been panic-buying bin bags amid fears of a shortage. The bags are made from polyethylene which is derived from naphtha - a refined product of crude oil.

In India, a shortage of gas has seen the ceramics industry shut for nearly a month in the western region of Gujarat.

State media in Vietnam said last week ‌the country's airlines were planning to cut their ​operations due to a fuel shortage.

In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency, which his administration said posed "an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply".

Australia

Last Friday, Australians were urged to "avoid panic buying" as the government revealed more than 600 service stations had run out of fuel.

Energy minister Chris Bowen confirmed there were 410 service stations across the country out of diesel and 193 without petrol.

Mr Bowen sought to reassure Australians about the fuel supplies, telling motorists there was no need to panic buy.

Africa

Like in the UK, excess demand from South African motorists caused large queues and some outages.

After a March shipment to Mauritius did not arrive, the government introduced energy-saving measures, limiting nonessential electricity use.

(c) Sky News 2026: Iran war: How the crisis in key Strait of Hormuz waterway is affecting fuel suppli