“If it's more than six months, we will have some real impacts. All the economies of the world will be damaged,” CEO Patrick Pouyanne said in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CGTN on Sunday.
The warning comes as Iran’s firm response to US-Israeli strikes, including effectively restricting traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, has disrupted global oil flows and exposed the vulnerability of economies dependent on militarized energy routes.
Pouyanne noted that under normal conditions, about 20 percent of global oil supply transits the strait, but current tensions have left around 10 million barrels per day unable to leave the Persian Gulf.
“And we cannot find the oil elsewhere in the planet,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of the China Development Forum in Beijing.
Meanwhile, the energy executive acknowledged that short-term disruptions can be absorbed through existing reserves, underscoring how global markets are temporarily cushioning the shock caused by conflict.
“If this conflict lasts three, four months, we can swallow it. Today we manage to amortize this shock because we have inventories,” he said.
However, he stressed that a longer war—driven by continued military pressure and escalation—would have far-reaching economic consequences worldwide.
“So again, I hope we'll find solutions quickly for this war,” he said.