Iran war energy crisis: how bad could it get? – The Latest

Iran war energy crisis: how bad could it get? – The Latest

From Today in Focus by The Guardian

April 20, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of the Iran war on energy prices and the geopolitical tensions surrounding it.

Oil and gas prices have jumped again as shipping through the strait of Hormuz came to a virtual standstill after Iran closed the waterway over the US blockade and Donald Trump announced an Iranian cargo ship had been seized trying to get past. Tehran has accused Washington of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement. With uncertainty over a second round of peace talks, fears continue to grow about the scale of the energy shock caused by the war. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

People in this episode

Guest: Jillian Ambrose

Topics covered

  • Iran
  • energy crisis
  • oil prices
  • gas prices
  • US blockade
  • peace talks

Keywords

  • Hormuz
  • shipping
  • ceasefire
  • Trump
  • Tehran

Mentioned in this episode

Products: oil, gas

Places: Iran, Hormuz, US, Tehran, Washington

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