DOHA, May 12 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The global oil market will not return to normal until next year unless shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz resumes within a month, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
"The longer the supply disruptions continue, even for another few more weeks, it is going to take a much longer time for the oil market to rebalance and stabilise," he said during a video conference to discuss Aramco's first-quarter results.
The crisis could last until 2027 if the impasse in the Strait continues until mid-June, he added.
According to the head of the world's largest energy company, the market, which has lost a billion barrels of oil due to production or transportation disruptions, will continue to lose approximately 100 million barrels each week as long as the strait remains closed.
Nasser recalled that approximately 70 ships per day had previously used to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Strikes on oil-producing countries in the Persian Gulf and Iran's effective closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies pass, have negatively impacted production and exports.
Before the conflict erupted on February 28, approximately 20 million barrels of oil per day entered the market through this waterway.
On February 28, the United States (US) and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, causing damage and civilian casualties.
On April 7, Washington and Tehran announced a two-week ceasefire.
Subsequent talks in Islamabad ended inconclusively, and US President Donald Trump extended the cessation of hostilities to give Iran time to come up with a "unified proposal."
The escalation has nearly halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for the delivery of oil and liquefied natural gas from Persian Gulf countries to global markets, driving up fuel prices.
On May 3, Trump announced Project Freedom to assist ships blocked in the Strait of Hormuz and seeking to leave it.
On May 5, Trump said he decided to pause the operation for a short period of time to see whether the peace deal with Iran can be achieved.
On Monday, Trump called Tehran's response to US peace proposals completely unacceptable.
-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
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