The conflict that began in Iran on February 28, 2026 has spread across the region, curtailing production and delaying or rerouting shipments of methanol through the Strait of Hormuz. Middle East exports of methanol of 17.5 million tons in 2025 were 56% of total global exports of 31.1 million tons.

Exports from Iran have ended. On March 5, Qatar declared Force Majeure and suspended operations at its LNG, methanol, polymer and other downstream facilities.

The Middle East is, by far, the world’s largest exporter of methanol, shipping mainly to Asia-Pacific. As such, a protracted disruption in supply will have a major impact on that region.

Other exporting regions in 2025: Latin America, 6 million tons; North America, 4 million tons; Eastern Europe, 1.8 million tons; Africa 1.1 million tons; Western Europe 0.8 million tons.

Middle East exported 16.8 million tons of methanol to Asia-Pacific in 2025, out of the 17.5 million ton total. Methanol was shipped to numerous markets in the region, headed by China and India. (ITP estimates that well over half of the Middle East total in 2025 was actually from Iran. Iran did not report export statistics for most of 2025. But, in 2024, Iran reported exports of 10 million tons out of the total visible from the Middle East of 18 million tons for that year. Trading partner countries reported most of this as imports from “countries of origin” other than Iran.)

Other methanol exporters in the Middle East include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Oman and Bahrain.

From International Trader Publications’ Methanol World Trade Analysis, continuously updated analysis of global trade based on statistics from all reporting countries.