Assessing The Middle East’s Eventual Production Return Outlook

20 Mar 2026 Issue: 69 / 12 By: Jamie Ingram

The Middle East conflict is escalating dangerously, with energy sector assets increasingly in the cross-hairs. When the conflict eventually ends, a return to full production would likely be measured in months, and any conflict-damage to upstream facilities would risk delaying the process significantly.

Markets are reeling amid massive supply outages and the cessation of non-Iranian oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. For now, the focus is on immediate supply constraints and the duration of the Hormuz shutdown. But even though the conflict is showing no signs of ending any time soon, questions are beginning to be asked about how long it might take Middle East producers to bring fields back online when it does end.

“This will definitely take a long time. The minimum time I can see is around 15 days,” Kuwait’s Opec Governor Mohammed al-Shatti told Al Arabiya on 17 March, and in some instances it could even take months. (CONTINUED - 1013 WORDS)