113 Countries Shift Energy Policy Over Iran War
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- 113 countries plus the European Commission have made at least one energy policy change in response to the Iran war, according to the IEA's June 12 update.
- Tax adjustments were the most common lever, used by 55 countries including Turkey, which lowered its fuel tax on oil.
- 40 countries launched public awareness or conservation campaigns, with Ireland and Japan encouraging energy savings and the Philippines declaring a national energy emergency.
- 32 countries added or expanded fuel subsidies — Fiji instated a diesel rebate for its main electricity provider, and Mozambique began subsidizing public transit.
- 28 countries pursued structural, long-term policies, such as the Netherlands accelerating internal combustion vehicle trade-ins for EVs and replacing home gas boilers with heat pumps.
- Laos enacted nine types of energy policies — more than any other country — while 12 predominantly Asian nations enacted at least six types each, with the Asia-Pacific region alone accounting for 124 policy changes across 29 countries.
- The United States is not among countries that made nationwide energy policy changes, though President Trump floated suspending the federal gas tax in May and four states — Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Utah — provided state-level gas tax relief.
Why it matters: The Iran war has pushed at least 113 countries to reshape energy policy — tax cuts, subsidies, conservation mandates, structural shifts — but the United States has enacted zero nationwide changes. That leaves American consumers and the federal budget more exposed to fuel-price swings than the 32 countries that expanded fuel subsidies or the 55 that cut energy taxes.
