Heineken, the world's second biggest brewer, said today that energy costs and inflation - driven up by the war in Iran - could hit demand for its beers, though its first-quarter revenue and volumes beat forecasts. Sustained cost-of-living pressures, shifts in drinking habits and US tariffs already meant the maker of Tiger and Sol as well as its namesake lager, expected a difficult year. Now, the conflict that began with US and Israeli airstrikes at the end of February has increased the cost of energy needed for production and further dented consumer spending power. Heineken's shares fell by almost 3% in early trade. Analysts said its warning on beer demand, a poorer-than-anticipated performance in the Americas, home to major beer markets Mexico and Brazil, and the absence of any update on the search for a new CEO were all negatives. Heineken is searching for a CEO after Dolf van den Brink unexpectedly resigned in January. Its results statement made no mention of its efforts to ...