Middle Eastern countries are preparing to resume oil production after the Strait of Hormuz reopened. Iran had effectively closed the strait to foreign oil tankers during a recent conflict. Many neighboring Middle Eastern oil wells had ceased production previously.

The closure led to local energy producers running out of storage space for accumulated oil and gas. Iran closed its oil wells this month after the United States began blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, threats of drone attacks forced the closure of several Saudi, Emirati, and Iraqi facilities during the war.

Closing oil wells involves engineering challenges that require days or weeks of planning. These pressure changes can damage reservoirs and affect nearby wells. Water infiltration into closed wells can also reduce potential production. Prolonged downtime can damage equipment such as pumps and lifting systems through corrosion, and sand and debris can accumulate in inactive oil wells. Pipes and concrete linings used to seal and extract oil can lose integrity during shutdowns, which can lead to leaks and the release of dangerous gases. Explosions can occur in exceptional cases of well shutdowns.

President Donald Trump stated, "Si no consiguen que su petróleo se mueva, toda su infraestructura petrolera va a explotar." He asked, "¿Saben lo que eso significa?" Trump added, "Porque no tienen dónde almacenarlo y, como no tienen dónde almacenarlo, si tienen que detener la extracción… ocurre algo bajo tierra que la deja en muy mal estado y de lo que nunca se recupera por completo." Describing pipeline shutdowns, Trump said, "Cuando tienes, ya sabes, oleoductos con enormes cantidades de petróleo fluyendo por tu sistema, si por alguna razón ese oleoducto se cierra porque no puedes seguir cargándolo en contenedores o barcos, lo que les ha sucedido (no tienen barcos debido al bloqueo), lo que ocurre es que ese oleoducto explota desde dentro, tanto mecánicamente como en el subsuelo." He asserted that when extraction is cut off, wells "tienden, casi en el 100 % de los casos, a explotar y destruir todo a su alrededor," adding, "Y ese petróleo nunca se puede recuperar."

Oil industry analysts state that significant damage or explosions almost certainly did not occur during the war. Oil wells globally were closed for prolonged periods during the early pandemic without significant or permanent damage. During that time, oil was sold at negative prices due to a lack of storage space. Some Middle Eastern suppliers also temporarily closed wells when OPEC production limits were in effect.