Bloomberg, citing Sheikh Nawaaf Al-Sabah, CEO of Kuwait Oil Company, reported that the country is now producing about two million barrels of oil per day, which is equivalent to about 75 percent of the level of production before the start of the war. Kuwait’s oil production before the start of the war in the Middle East, at the end of February, and the disruption of the shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz by the Islamic Republic, was about 2.6 million barrels per day.

Al-Sabah said that despite the Islamic Republic’s continued threats against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, “more ships are passing because everyone knows there is no substitute for the Strait of Hormuz.”

He also said that the Islamic Republic’s attacks on oil tankers are increasingly targeting the ships’ engine rooms, making their repairs more difficult. According to Al-Sabah, all of Kuwait’s refineries are operating, but the market is facing a shortage of petroleum products, especially distillate fuels.

Al-Sabah said Kuwait’s current oil production capacity is about three million barrels per day and that the country’s plans to build pipelines are progressing, and routes through Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are still under review.