In South Korea, they announced their readiness to limit transport due to the energy crisis.

South Korean authorities are considering the possibility of imposing additional restrictions on traffic amid the Middle East conflict. This was reported by Bloomberg on March 30.

"We are considering extending this system to the private sector to encourage cooperation with the government, but we hope that the conflict will end soon and such measures will not be necessary," said Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun Chol.

The expansion of restrictive measures to the private sector will be the first such step since the 1991 Gulf War, the authors of the material note. This also indicates the increased concern of the authorities about the impending energy shock amid restrictions on tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Dark Times: How Asia is saving energy due to the war in Iran

Even if the conflict ends soon, it will not be possible to restore energy supplies quickly.

The Washington Post reported on March 28 that U.S. allies in Asia fear a prolonged conflict in the Middle East. The authors of the material reported that in addition to the sharp rise in oil and energy prices in Asia, which are already causing significant damage to the economies of states, the latter are unhappy with the diversion of attention and military resources from the Indo-Pacific region.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeou said on March 17 that the country had begun consultations on oil supplies from Russia amid the easing of US sanctions against Russian oil. The diplomat said that against the background of the scaling conflict in the Middle East, the kingdom has to look for alternative sources of supplies.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.