Kit Knightly – Off-Guardian March 17, 2026

The war in Iran is having the impact that most people with any sense knew it would have: The price of oil is going up, and the supply of oil is going down.

Of course, whether or not the latter of these is actually true we will never know, and it’s beside the point. Oil companies will natural take the slightest excuse to price gouge and contrive scarcity for the basest of profit motives.

It also serves a political motive as well, since we know the global political machinery is –

against free travel
against fossil fuels and
against people being able to afford basically anything.

Which is of course another reason – we could say the ultimate real reason – why the head of BP is screaming about fuel rationing…

UK should brace for fuel rationing over Iran war crisis, former BP chief warns Starmer

Sri Lanka and Thailand have already brought in rationing measures. In Vietnam they will be grounding flights, beginning in April, due to jet fuel shortages.

On Friday it was reported that a “global fuel shortage may be just days away”.

Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Thailand have also instituted remote work for government employees.

In Denmark, it’s not policy yet, only a suggestion. With government ministers begging – “please, please, please” – not to drive and to reduce their energy usage at home. Australia is going the panic-buying-causes-shortages route.

Bloomberg is warning that the fuel crisis may threaten the global food supply.

It’s all kinda familiar isn’t it…

In case you’re not picking up what we’re putting down here, the Financial Post is warning that…

Oil prices could get high enough to force a COVID-level lockdown

…yeah.

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