Sudarat urges the Prime Minister to personally chair a war room to tackle the energy crisis, fearing that a prolonged war could drive oil prices up to $150 per barrel. She highlights the need to assess the worst-case scenario to prepare carefully.
On 10 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan expressed concern that the ongoing war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran might drag on. She recommended the government upgrade the situation monitoring committee, currently chaired by the Transport Minister, into a full-scale war room involving all relevant ministries. She insisted that the Prime Minister should personally chair this war room and promptly develop careful contingency plans. She advised evaluating the worst-case scenario—if oil shortages occur and prices soar to $150 per barrel—so the government can prepare appropriate responses and communicate these plans for each scenario to the public and businesses to help them plan their lives and operations.
Khunying Sudarat also noted that following Iran’s appointment of Mostafa Khamenei, son of the former leader, as the new Supreme Leader—a significant signal of regime preservation and a response to President Trump's "Regime Change" plan— "Regime Change" analysts worldwide predict that the conflict will not end easily and could escalate into a regional war, especially after attacks on oil refineries and energy storage facilities in the Arabian Gulf area, which have pushed global crude oil prices up from $64 per barrel.
Crucially, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused shortages in oil and gas supplies, as oil and gas from the Arabian Gulf countries cannot be exported. This could trigger a major global energy crisis, disrupting supply chains and causing severe inflation worldwide, including in Thailand, which imports energy from the Middle East.
Regarding the impact on Thailand, Khunying Sudarat said the government's current oil price control may only be sustainable short-term, as the oil fund is running a deficit and requires daily subsidies exceeding 700 million baht. She therefore suggested the government upgrade the "war room" operations, "war room" with the Prime Minister personally chairing to integrate work across multiple ministries, including lobbying to secure new energy sources through the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, price controls by the Ministry of Commerce, and agricultural sector relief efforts.
Khunying Sudarat urged the government to assess the worst-case scenario to prepare for potential energy shortages and oil prices surging to $150 per barrel. She questioned how the government plans to handle oil procurement amid global competition for supplies.
She also called for the government to publicly announce crisis response plans to businesses and the public to build confidence.