IEA Urges Americans to Curb Driving as Iran War Oil Shock Deepens

CBS News reports that the International Energy Agency is calling on consumers, including Americans, to cut oil use through steps like working from home, driving more slowly and carpooling as the Iran war and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz squeeze global crude supplies and push gasoline prices higher. In a March 20 report, the IEA warned that supply-side moves such as the Trump administration’s release of 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve cannot on their own offset the disruption, emphasizing that demand reduction is now a 'critical and immediate tool' to ease pressure on consumers. Economists including Nobel laureate Paul Krugman say the fastest way to cut U.S. oil use is simply to drive less or telecommute more often, but note that demand is highly inelastic in the short run because most Americans lack viable public-transit or electric-vehicle alternatives. JPMorgan analyst Natasha Kaneva and AAA data cited in the piece underscore that while tweaks like reducing highway speeds by 5–10 mph can boost mileage by up to 14%, structural dependence on gasoline-powered vehicles means it will be difficult to engineer large, rapid cuts in U.S. oil consumption. The article frames the moment against the 1970s oil crisis and suggests that unless Washington can help reopen Hormuz, Americans should expect an extended period of high fuel prices with only limited room to blunt the hit through behavior changes.