Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi has refuted US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s claims that the Strait of Hormuz will become irrelevant as a strategic chokepoint within two years. According to the IEA, roughly 34% of the world’s crude oil passed through the Strait in 2025, making it the single most important energy chokepoint in global markets. Al-Kaabi warned that any geopolitical disruption could send oil prices surging to $150 per barrel. Qatar, one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, has no overland pipeline alternatives for its liquefied natural gas shipments, with every tanker bound for Asian and European buyers forced to transit the Strait. Existing bypass pipeline infrastructure can handle only a fraction of the volumes that flow through the Strait daily, with analysts considering the two-year timeline for meaningful capacity additions unrealistic.
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