OSLO, March 3 (Reuters) - The impact on energy flows of U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran and Iran's drone and missile launches against its neighbours could reopen debate in the European Union
Iran Conflict Could Spark EU Reconsideration of Russian Gas Ban, Norway Warns
Impact of Middle East Tensions on European Energy Policy
Rising Energy Prices Amid Conflict
OSLO, March 3 (Reuters) - The impact on energy flows of U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran and Iran's drone and missile launches against its neighbours could reopen debate in the European Union over banning Russian natural gas imports, Norway's energy minister said on Tuesday.
European gas prices have jumped 75% this week, hitting multi-year highs as hostilities in and around Iran have impacted gas exports from the Gulf.
Major liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Qatar halted production on Monday.
Norway's Perspective on EU Energy Security
Statements from Norway's Energy Minister
"The EU has been very clear that they want to liberate themselves from Russian oil and gas, but then the events of the last three-four days have also been difficult," Norway's Energy Minister Terje Aasland told a conference in Oslo.
"With the geopolitical situation we see now, I believe the debate will be revived," Aasland said.
EU Ban on Russian Gas Imports
European Union countries last month gave final approval to a ban on gas imports by late 2027 from Russia, their former top supplier, some four years after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Norway's Role in European Energy Supply
Norway is Europe's biggest gas producer, meeting around 30% of demand. It also supplies about 20% of the continent's oil.
Geopolitical Risks to Energy Transport
Threats to Shipping Routes
An Iranian Revolutionary Guards senior official said on Monday that Iran would fire on any ship trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz at the southern end of the Gulf.
Significance of the Strait of Hormuz
Tankers from Qatar, which produces about 20% of the world's supply of LNG, use that route.
(Reporting by Nora Buli; editing by Terje Solsvik and Jason Neely)
