Global energy prices surged on Monday as geopolitical tensions in Ukraine, Iran, and Yemen disrupted oil and gas supplies, pushing Brent crude to $107.25 per barrel, its highest level since September 16, according to market data. The spike followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement that strikes against Russian energy infrastructure would continue, alongside reports of an oil tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route .

Disruptions in the Persian Gulf have sharply reduced fuel exports, with oil volumes leaving the region dropping to 13 million barrels per day from a high of 16.5 million earlier this year, according to former Goldman Sachs strategist Robin Brooks. Meanwhile, Houthi forces seized Yemen’s Mokha port and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while drone strikes from Iraq forced Saudi Arabia to shut its East-West pipeline, further constraining global supply .

European gas prices have risen over 150% this year, with benchmark contracts nearing €100 per megawatt-hour as depleted storage reserves and blocked LNG exports from Qatar and the UAE intensify competition for alternative supplies. Analysts warn that even if the Iran war ends, Europe may face another year of high prices, with storage levels projected to fall to 20% by early April under average winter conditions .

In Poland, energy executives warned of rising costs, with Orlen signaling potential gas tariff increases for 2027 if current market levels persist. The company cited a 137% year-on-year rise in European gas prices, driven in part by the March blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that the bloc’s import costs for fossil fuels have risen by €100 billion since the start of the Iran conflict .