Iran Crisis: Asia Barters for Scarce Energy as Chinese Export Ban Throttles Supplies

Luojiashan tanker sits anchored in Muscat, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Luojiashan tanker sits anchored in Muscat, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Indonesia’s leader visited Tokyo this week in Asia’s latest flurry of fuel bartering efforts to offset crippling shortages caused by conflict in the Middle East, a key source of regional energy supplies.

The race for alternatives has heated up as China, the world’s second-largest economy, imposed fuel export bans, while nations such as South Korea and Thailand try to exploit the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Russian energy as a stopgap move.

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by Reuters

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