As the G7 countries announced plans to release oil from their reserves to ease rising prices, Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Aramco, warned that the global oil system is already under significant stress. Amin Nasser, the head of Aramco, spoke at the Energy Intelligence Forum in London, stating that global oil reserves are at "dangerously low" levels and that rebuilding them could take up to two years. He emphasized that the world has few alternatives to oil, making the current situation particularly precarious. "The system is already under pressure," Nasser said. "As long as the Strait of Hormuz is not fully reopened and confidence is not restored, the pressure will intensify both upstream and downstream." Nasser noted that nearly 3 billion barrels of oil have been "lost" since the start of the conflict, with one billion barrels drawn from reserves. He also clarified that only a small fraction of reported reserves—less than 10%—are actually available for immediate use. Much of the oil listed as reserves is needed to maintain infrastructure. This explains, he said, why it has been difficult for the International Energy Agency (IEA), which includes 32 countries, to release the promised 400 million barrels of strategic oil. So far, 325 million barrels have been released, according to the IEA. Despite these efforts, the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia was attacked again on Sunday. A pumping station in Khurais, east of Riyadh, was hit, causing significant damage and interrupting oil transport. This pipeline is a critical artery for Saudi Arabia, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has restricted navigation since the beginning of the Middle East conflict. The pipeline had previously been shut down in late September after attacks from Iraq. However, despite these disruptions, crude oil exports from Middle Eastern countries—excluding Iran—have surpassed pre-war levels, according to data from maritime tracking company Kpler. For the first time since the conflict began in late February, the weekly average of oil shipments from the region has exceeded the pre-conflict level of 18 million barrels per day for several consecutive days. This suggests that despite ongoing challenges, the region's oil supply has managed to adapt to the crisis. Amin Nasser expressed confidence in Aramco's ability to meet customer needs, though he warned that energy reserves can only provide temporary relief and not a long-term solution to the supply problem.