The Middle East conflict has ignited a major energy crisis, pushing global crude oil prices to soar beyond 100 dollars per barrel.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—a vital strategic point responsible for transporting one-fifth of the world's oil—has disrupted supply chains, worsened inflation, and severely impacted the global economy, especially in Asian countries heavily reliant on energy imports.
These geopolitical consequences extend beyond the battlefield losses in the Middle East, shaking the daily lives and livelihoods of people in countries large and small. Rising fuel and living costs have become a harsh reality everyone must bear.
In Thailand, growing concerns over rising fuel prices have led to queues at gas stations and even fuel hoarding, causing several stations to temporarily close. This occurs despite government assurances that energy supplies will not run out and efforts to urgently secure additional oil reserves.
Amid the panic and questions about when this situation will end, are people in other parts of the world facing the same challenges?
Thairath Plus has collected voices from Thai people abroad and foreigners across various regions worldwide to explore their experiences, adaptations, and feelings in daily life since the Middle East conflict erupted and shows no signs of easing soon.
“Living in Laos, we also feel the impact strongly. To refuel, we have to queue for hours early in the morning with no guarantee of getting fuel; sometimes it runs out during refueling.
Many of my office friends have had to arrive late because they wait in line for fuel. It's necessary since people rely on private cars without convenient public transport.
Daily conversations revolve around where to refuel, which stations are still open or have fuel left.
People even started using an app from the COVID era that tracks fuel station statuses, similar to the current situation back then.”
“Here, most people don't drive themselves, but I regularly monitor fuel prices. Many know that Russia has large energy reserves, so since the Middle East conflict erupted, the impact here has been minimal, with fuel prices rising only slightly by 0.4 to 1.5 baht.
Currently, Gasohol 95 is roughly priced between 26.4 and 28.7 baht per liter, compared to about 26 to 28 baht before the crisis. Since 2024, fuel prices in Russia have been gradually rising monthly due to high domestic inflation over the past few years, affecting all sectors, not just energy, including consumer goods. However, inflation dropped significantly last year and is expected to decrease further this year as the economy slows, similar to many countries.
We expect fuel prices in the next one to two months won’t jump drastically—likely increasing no more than 5-10%, at worst 15%. Regular fuel users have yet to show signs of reducing usage. Moreover, the government prioritizes stabilizing domestic fuel prices to maintain import-export stability.”
“In Indonesia, we are closely monitoring the situation in Iran since it has a large Muslim population like ours. This war is a disaster for Indonesia’s economic and political situation.
The most direct economic impact we've experienced is on tourism—many of my tour bookings were canceled as clients stopped traveling. This downturn has caused me income loss. Bali’s atmosphere is noticeably subdued compared to December.
Secondly, discussions have begun about raising fuel and electricity prices since Indonesia still heavily depends on energy imports. This geopolitical conflict has immediately raised concerns about energy security.
Another hot issue is that Indonesia recently joined President Trump's Board of Peace initiative, originally intended to express support for peace in Palestine. However, following the Iran war outbreak, public backlash grew, with many demanding President Prabowo withdraw from the group. Islamic organizations even held protests in Jakarta and Surabaya urging the government to quit the membership.”
“Recently, I have clearly observed the energy crisis linked to the Middle East situation, especially through rising oil prices affecting overall living costs. Though living in China, I acknowledge the government’s key role in managing the situation via price controls, tax adjustments, and focusing on domestic energy supply, keeping daily impacts manageable.
Personally, I have slightly adjusted my behavior by reducing unnecessary travel, using public transport more, and carpooling with friends. Also, there is a noticeable increase in demand for electric vehicles among the Chinese, reflecting a structural adaptation to energy uncertainties.
From an academic perspective, this crisis highlights the importance of energy security and government intervention during crises. China's prior investments in renewable energy have helped reduce oil dependency and mitigate impacts to some extent.
Overall, although the energy crisis pressures living costs and energy consumption behaviors, Chinese society has adapted relatively quickly, and government policy measures have helped maintain a satisfactory level of stability.”
“After the U.S. went to war with Iran on the 27th of last month, I expected troubles in many areas, but after about a week, everything seemed normal. Consumer goods prices did not rise, and most people didn’t hoard food supplies.
Overall, Americans are neither afraid nor shocked because they understand that preventing Iran from producing nuclear weapons for terrorism was the correct government action.
Regarding fuel prices, figures show only a slight 16% increase, which is normal compared to Asia—Cambodia’s prices surged nearly 70%, Laos almost 40%.
In California, gasoline is $5–6 per gallon, up about $2. In Las Vegas, prices remain unchanged at just over $3 per gallon.
Despite crude oil prices rising 60% after the war and European natural gas surging similarly, the U.S. is unaffected because it imports almost no oil from the Middle East. Over half of its crude oil has long been supplied by Canada.
Politically and economically, things are stable. The S&P 500 stock market, representing the world's leading businesses in the U.S., dropped only 3% after the war, negligible compared to its usual 20% annual growth.”
“Here, everything is normal. Oil prices remain stable, hardly affected. According to reports, Japan has enough oil reserves for 254 days.
However, companies, especially import-export businesses, continuously assess the situation weekly.
Life is very normal. Prices of goods rise regularly about every three months.
People generally do not hoard. Earlier, there were news reports about people stockpiling toilet paper, but announcements clarified most toilet paper in Japan is domestically made and unaffected, so hoarding stopped.
Daily life sees no stockpiling. When there are earthquake, typhoon, or snowstorm warnings, those events cause more disruption than the current situation.”
“Personally, and for Germans in big cities, there is little impact so far. For travel, I ride a bicycle or use trains and trams powered 100% by electricity. Many buses are electric too, so they don’t use fuel.
However, consumer goods prices will likely rise, though not drastically. Germany has affordable supermarket chains like Lidl and Aldi, which helps ease concerns.
Drivers pay high fuel prices anyway. Germany imports little oil from the Middle East, mostly from nearby Norway or other countries.
Still, fuel prices are rising due to disrupted supply chains. The German government has begun announcing fuel policies but has not fixed prices yet.”
“From my observation, most people in the UK are not heavily affected by the Middle East situation. Consumer goods in stores are neither scarce nor much more expensive than before. Travel impact is low, as most people use public transport—subways, buses (mostly hybrid or electric), or bicycles. Only those using private cars face higher fuel prices.”
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