A price board at a gas station showing the prices of different gasoline, as nationwide public transport strikes against oil price hikes and US-Israeli aggressions are underway, in Metro Manila, on March 19, 2026.
Istanbul
G7 foreign ministers said Saturday they are ready to take "necessary measures" to support global energy supplies and safeguard maritime routes, including through the Strait of Hormuz.
A statement by the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, alongside the EU's High Representative Kaja Kallas, pointed to the International Energy Agency's stockpile release decision on March 11 as an example of the kind of action they were prepared to support.
"We reaffirm the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, and safety of navigation ... as well as the safety and security of supply chains and the stability of energy markets," it said.
The ministers also condemned in "the strongest terms" Iranian strikes on energy infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Iraq, demanding their "immediate and unconditional cessation." They reaffirmed their support for the right of targeted countries to defend themselves.
The G7 reiterated its longstanding position that Tehran must never obtain a nuclear weapon, must halt its ballistic missile program and "end its destabilizing activities in the region and around the globe."
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively disrupted since early March, as part of retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on Iran that started Feb. 28, pushing oil prices higher. The US-Israeli strikes have reportedly killed 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key oil transit route that normally handles about 20 million barrels per day and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade.
