Iran war, Hormuz disruption drive energy shock, push Pakistan’s fuel import bill to $7.9 billion in five months

Pakistan's petroleum import bill climbed by almost 20 per cent to between $7.7 billion and $7.9 billion over March to July 2026, Profit reported, citing official trade data. The figure compares with roughly $6.6 billion in the same stretch of 2025. The rise came as the Iran war and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz pushed energy costs higher across South Asia.

Monthly figures show the bill climbed from about $983 million in March to nearly $1.91 billion in June, before easing to $1.28 billion in July. April posted the sharpest year-on-year increase, with the bill reaching around $1.79 billion against $1.35 billion a year earlier. June petroleum-group imports also included about $221.5 million of LNG, adding to the foreign-exchange burden.

Disruption in the strait has lifted crude and LNG prices along with freight, marine insurance and security costs. Pakistan's petroleum-group imports for FY2025-26 reached about $16.86 billion, up 5.76 per cent, while crude imports rose by more than 31 per cent. Finland-based think tank CREA estimates the war raised the oil and gas import bill of major importers by as much as $330 billion over March to August 2026.