More than 40 Middle East energy assets have been "severely or very severely damaged" since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, according to International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol.
The conflict, he added, is the "greatest global energy threat in history."
"People understand that this is a major challenge, but I am not sure that the depth and the consequences of the situation are well understood," Birol told the Financial Times Monday.
Even if the war ends and the Strait of Hormuz reopens, "it will take a long time" to bring oil and gas fields back online, he said.
"It will be six months for some [sites] to be operational, others much longer."
The IEA acts as energy policy adviser for its 30 member countries in their efforts to ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy.
President Donald Trump on Monday said he was postponing any strikes against Iran's power plants for five days, citing "productive conversations" with Tehran to end the war.
Markets surged and oil prices dropped on the news, though Iran said there had been no direct talks with the U.S. and that Trump's move was designed to lower energy prices and "buy time" for his military plans.
The "fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the U.S. and Israel are trapped," Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said in an English-language post on social media.
The people of Iran "demand complete and remorseful punishment," he added.
"All Iranian officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved," said Ghalibaf.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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