New Delhi, April 17 -- West Asia's energy production could take up to two years to return to pre-war levels following the conflict between the US and Iran, the Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher reported, citing the International Energy Agency (IEA).

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told the Swiss newspaper that recovery timelines would differ across the region, depending on each country's production capacities and infrastructure resilience.

"In Iraq, for example, it will take much longer than in Saudi Arabia," Birol said, highlighting the uneven pace of recovery among major oil-producing areas. Referring to IEA estimates, he said that it would take "approximately two years overall" for production in the Middle East to return to levels befo...