LNG supply from the Middle East remains severely disrupted seven months after Iran conflict blocked Strait of Hormuz shipping routes, according to Oilprice reporting dated 13 October 2026. Approximately one-fifth of global LNG volumes previously transited the chokepoint and are now unable to pass. Qatar's LNG output has been severely reduced as a result, placing sustained pressure on global liquefied natural gas supply.
The disruption has produced measurable downstream effects across multiple import-dependent economies. India's natural gas demand fell by 1.5 million tons year-to-date, with an anticipated 7% regional demand growth of 2.7 million tons curtailed by routing constraints on Qatari and UAE LNG, driving spot prices higher across South Asia. Pakistan's state LNG importer separately flagged challenging winter supply conditions as Qatari and UAE shipments through the strait remain severely disrupted, with the Pakistan LNG Limited CEO describing the bottleneck as a transit issue rather than one of gas availability.
Natural gas and LNG spot markets are the primary instruments directly affected, as the Strait of Hormuz disruption removes a structural supply source from global balances. Qatar Petroleum's export volumes underpin a significant share of global LNG contract supply, and the sustained reduction in throughput from this source continues to tighten spot market availability.
No official governmental or regulatory statement addressing the supply disruption was reported within the cluster at the time of publication.
Sources: Oilprice, Bloomberg Markets