Growing oil production in South America limits gas price increases due to Iran War

Argentina’s biggest exports used to be beef and grains. But not anymore. “Argentina is transforming from an energy importer into a growing energy exporter. Oil production from the Vaca Muerta shale formation is up 28 percent from a year ago, and crude oil became the country’s largest export product during the first half of 2026,” reports The Doomslayer.

Growing oil production in South American countries like Argentina has helped limit gas price increases during the Iran War. Some analysts predicted the Iran War would drive gasoline prices above $200 per barrel. But it didn’t. The price of oil is only about $85 per barrel now.

One reason the price didn’t rise more is that more and more of the world’s oil comes from outside the Persian Gulf, which used to produce more than a third of the world’s oil.  The Persian Gulf’s only entrance and exit — the Strait of Hormuz — has been dangerous for ships to pass through since the start of the Iran War. That restricted the shipping of oil from oil-producing Persian Gulf countries during the war.

Oil production in Argentina’s neighbor, Brazil, has risen from 3 million barrels per day in 2022 to about 4.5 million barrels per day in 2026.

The South American country of Guyana is rapidly expanding offshore oil production. It now has among the highest per capita oil production on Earth, producing more than 900,000 barrels of oil per day, despite having only 840,000 people. It was once the poorest country in South America, but now its per capita income is higher than any other country in the Americas (except perhaps the United States).

Guyana is famous as the country where a cult killed 918 people in 1978 in Jonestown. Much of the country is uninhabited rain forest.

However, it has a very high crime rate, which makes it less attractive to visit, even though it has striking tourist attractions such as Kaieteur Falls. The murder rate in Guyana is three or four times as high as in the United States.

Argentina also now produces lots of soybeans and soybean oil. It used to grow mainly corn and wheat. “Argentina became the first Latin American country to officially approve genetically modified, glyphosate-tolerant soybeans in 1996. This new technology paired with zero-tillage farming made soy extremely profitable and easy to expand. Land use exploded from under 5 million hectares in the early 1990s to roughly 20 million hectares by the late 2010s, turning Argentina into a global agricultural superpower.”