Chevron CEO Mike Wirth stated at an energy conference in Austin, Texas, on September 11 that the energy market's stabilization mechanisms are largely exhausted, buffer space has significantly decreased, and the protracted war in Iran poses a risk of the situation spiraling out of control, making a rapid decline in oil prices unlikely. Global commercial fuel inventories have fallen for six consecutive months, and strategic crude oil reserves are running low. Last week, a key Saudi oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz was attacked, disrupting approximately 2.5 million barrels of crude oil per day. U.S. crude oil prices have surged 19% in the past three weeks to $102 per barrel, and retail diesel prices have climbed to a record high of $6.23 per gallon. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum dismissed industry concerns at a G-20 event in Houston on Monday, insisting that the current oil price increase is a "temporary disruption" and explicitly ruling out a ban on refined product exports, believing such a move would not help lower domestic prices. Veteran energy consultants Wil VanLoh and Dan Pickering also noted that the stalemate in the Iran war leaves the energy market with few options, and the conflict could persist for an extended period, with the diesel market facing particularly severe pressure.