G7 nations to hold emergency meeting on oil as stock markets sink
G7 nations will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss surging oil prices as crude jumped above $100 a barrel and stock markets slumped over the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran.
Finance ministers from leading industrialised countries, including UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves, will gather to discuss the economic impact of the conflict.
Global oil prices reached nearly $120 on Monday over fears of a prolonged disruption to energy supplies through the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route and the UK's FTSE 100 share index fell 1.5%.
The Financial Times reported the G7 meeting will discuss a joint release of petroleum from reserves, co-ordinated by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
If reserves are released by IEA members it would be the first time since 2022, when action was taken following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Major disruption to energy supplies from the region threatens to push up prices for consumers and businesses around the world. Rising inflation could lead to fewer interest rate cuts by central banks.
About a fifth of the world's oil supply is usually shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. But traffic through the narrow passage has all but halted since the war started more than a week ago.
On Sunday, Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader, signalling that more than a week into the conflict hardliners remain in charge of the country.
The US and Israel launched fresh waves of airstrikes across Iran over the weekend, hitting multiple targets including oil depots.
Meanwhile, Iran targeted energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states. Overnight, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted and destroyed two waves of drones heading towards a major oilfield.
On Monday morning in Asia, the price of Brent crude jumped by more than 25% to touch $119.50 a barrel at one point before falling back to around $107.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude saw similar movements and was trading at about $104 a barrel.
Gas prices also jumped. UK gas prices for month-ahead delivery surged by nearly 25% to 171p a therm when trading started on Monday, before slipping back to about 156p a therm.
European stock markets opened lower, following steep falls earlier in Asia. Both Germany's Dax and France's Cac 40 indexes were down by about 2.5%.
In London, nearly all shares in the FTSE 100 fell, with oil giants BP and Shell among the few companies to see an increase.
Earlier, Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped 5.2%, while South Korea's Kospi index closed down 6%. At one point trading on the Kospi was halted for 20 minutes by a so-called circuit breaker - a mechanism designed to curb panic selling.
Adnan Mazarei from the Peterson Institute for International Economics said the jump in oil prices was expected, given how production has been halted in some Gulf countries and the signs of a prolonged conflict in the region.
"People are realising that this won't end quickly," he said, adding that the promises of insurances and objectives laid out by the US are "becoming more unrealistic."
US President Donald Trump, who campaigned on bringing down the cost of living, has repeatedly dismissed concerns about rising oil prices.
On Sunday, he posted on his Truth Social platform: "Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace. ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!"
His Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, told US broadcasters on Sunday that Israel, not the US, was targeting Iran's energy infrastructure, amid some concern about rising domestic pump prices caused by the war.
Data from motorists group AAA showed the average price for regular gasoline in the US rose 11% last week to $3.32 a gallon.
