Summary
Middle East Oil
Oil production, trade, and refining in the Middle East are important for global oil markets. Three maritime transit points for crude oil and petroleum products are in or near the region. Conflicts within and among Middle East countries and regional militant groups have included attacks—more than 200 since 2017 1 —targeting oil infrastructure, including production fields, pipelines, processing and refining facilities, storage terminals, and tankers.
Crude oil includes crude, shale/tight oil, oil sands, and lease condensate or gas condensates that require further refining. Oil products include gasoline, diesel/ gasoil, fuel oil, and other refined petroleum products. Spare capacity changes monthly and is defined by the U.S. Energy Information Administration as "the volume of production that can be brought on within 30 days and sustained for at least 90 days." Most spare oil production capacity is controlled by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members. BPD = Barrels per day. UAE = United Arab Emirates. ME = Middle East. * Included in Other ME.
Sources: 1. S&P Global Commodity Insights, "Energy Security Sentinel: An Interactive Study of Geopolitical Risk and Energy Prices" (accessed August 14, 2024). 2. S&P Global, "Commodity Midstream Essentials Gold Worldwide" (accessed July 3, 2024). 3. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Country Analysis Brief: World Oil Transit Chokepoints, June 25, 2024. 4. Energy Institute, "Statistical Review of World Energy," 73rd ed., 2024. 5. International Energy Agency, Oil Market Report, August 13, 2024. Map geography: U.S. Department of State.
Information prepared by Phillip Brown, Specialist in Energy Policy; Calvin DeSouza, Geospatial Information Systems Analyst; and Amber Wilhelm, Visual Information Specialist, on September 9, 2025.