RIYADH: Gulf oil producers could halt exports within weeks due to the ongoing Middle East war, sending crude prices to $150 a barrel, according to Qatar’s energy minister. In an interview published on Friday, Saad Al-Kaabi warned oil could hit the figure in two to three weeks if ships and tankers were unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which is the world's most vital oil export route as it connects the biggest Gulf oil producers with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Hostilities between US-Israeli forces and Iran, which began with strikes on Iran on Feb.

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrowest point in the Persian Gulf and a vital link for oil shipments. See where it is and what could happen next.

Global oil and gas prices have spiked as the conflict in the Middle East halts energy exports from the region. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to John Collingridge, the Guardian’s head of…