By Joshua Kirby
DOW JONES–European Union leaders say they are working with governments in the Middle East to minimize risks to global energy security amid attacks on infrastructure and a growing supply crisis.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa spoke on Monday with representatives from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“They discussed the impact of attacks on energy infrastructure and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on global energy security and examined ways to strengthen cooperation with partners in the Middle East to mitigate these risks,” Von der Leyen and Costa said in a joint statement.
Refineries in countries such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been bombed by Iranian forces in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks. This weekend, airstrikes hit energy infrastructure in Tehran and the Strait of Hormuz – a bottleneck in the key Persian Gulf shipping route – is largely closed.
Many countries in the region, including Iraq and Kuwait, have begun cutting their oil production in response to the conflict, leading to fears of a shortage. Crude oil prices have risen above $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago, raising the specter of a fresh rise in consumer price inflation.
The Group of Seven leading industrialized nations (G7) will discuss options to deal with the crisis later on Monday, including the possible release of strategic reserves, according to a French official.
Von der Leyen and Costa condemned Iran’s attacks on its neighbors as indiscriminate. “The European Union will work with the countries of the region to bring peace and stability back to the Middle East and the Gulf region,” they said.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 09, 2026 11:28 ET (15:28 GMT)
