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The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Wednesday that European jet fuel supplies from the Middle East dropped sharply in April, leaving the region struggling to bridge a significant deficit.

According to a Reuters report citing the IEA’s latest monthly update, European jet fuel imports from the Middle East plummeted from 330,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March to just 60,000 bpd in April. The agency attributed this decline to the conflict in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has severely disrupted trade flows from the Gulf.

The IEA stated that importing regions like Europe must ideally replace at least 80% of the lost Middle Eastern volumes to prevent physical shortages during the peak summer travel season. However, preliminary data indicates that Europe's net jet fuel imports in April reached only 70% of the levels recorded in March.

While European nations have ramped up purchases from the United States and Nigeria, these volumes have proven insufficient to offset the shortfall. Data from analytics firm Kpler showed that combined flows from these alternative sources reached approximately 221,000 bpd in April, failing to close the gap left by the disrupted Gulf supplies.