Middle East

The U.S. sanctioned tanker, Rich Starry,?arrived back at the Strait of?Hormuz Wednesday, after leaving the Gulf the previous day,?shipping information showed. It failed to?break a U.S.?blockade?on ships calling at Iranian port. U.S. president Donald Trump announced the ban on Sunday, after the weekend talks between the U.S. government and Iran in Islamabad failed to produce a result. The U.S. Central Command reported on X that "no ships were able to get past the U.S. Blockade during the first 24 hour period." Six vessels complied with the direction of U.S. Forces to turn around and re-enter a port in Iran. On...

According to analysis of ship tracking platforms such as 'Kpler' and 'Lloyd's List' Intelligence, a Greek-operated tanker sailed across the Strait of Hormuz on Monday with a cargo of Saudi Arabian crude oil and India listed as its destination. Hundreds of ships are anchored on both sides of the strait as the U.S. and Israel war against Iran continues. The oil and shipping markets are watching for any signs of increased sailings through this critical waterway, through which most of the world's crude oil passes. MarineTraffic data showed that the Shenlong Suezmax, a tanker with a 1 million-barrel capacity, had...

The leading shipping and labour groups have said that seafarers are entitled to refuse to sail on ships traversing the Middle East Gulf, which includes the Strait of Hormuz. This is because the threat level in the region has been raised to the highest level. As the U.S. war against Iran intensifies, around 300 ships are anchored both sides of the Strait. Nine ships have suffered damage since?February 28 and one seafarer has been killed. According to the International Bargaining Forum, a group of mariners, commercial shipping companies, and maritime unions, reached a negotiated agreement on Thursday. Seafarers can refuse...

The Lloyd's market in London is in contact with the United States. The International Development Finance Corporation of the U.S. government is negotiating with Lloyd's Market officials about a plan to provide political risk assurance and guarantees for maritime trade in the Gulf. Lloyd's engages constructively with U.S. Development Finance Corporation, and other relevant stakeholders. The market is focused on maintaining its position as the "global centre for excellence in war risk insurance." A Lloyd's spokesperson stated. Sheila Cameron, CEO of the Lloyd's Market Association (LMA), who represents all underwriting companies in the Lloyd's market, said in a separate statement...

According to shipping ministry advisories, Greece warned its shipping fleet to take the most stringent security measures when sailing into Russian Black Sea ports following drone attacks this week on two Greek-operated oil tankers. Drones hit two oil tankers, including one chartered from U.S. oil giant Chevron as they approached the marine terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium on the Black Sea coast of Russia. Greek-operated tankers are among the largest in the world. They are crucial for trade along the Black Sea, where Bulgaria,?Georgia?, Romania?, Turkey?, and Russia?, who are at war with Ukraine?, which Moscow invaded?in February 2022?....

In recent days, dozens of commercial ships dropped anchor outside Iran's ports, according to shipping and data sources. This is happening as tensions between the United States and Iran grow. Shipping sources said that such movements were "precautionary" given the tensions surrounding the ongoing protests in Iran. Port limits are important because they increase the risk of collateral damages in the event that air strikes hit nearby infrastructure. A U.S. official announced on Wednesday that the U.S. was withdrawing personnel from Middle East bases after a senior Iranian officials said Tehran warned its neighbours it would strike American bases if...

Sources in the industry said that insurance rates for war risks increased after Ukrainian drones attacked two tankers headed to a Russian harbor. Fears of more attacks prompted insurers to raise their prices. Black Sea is vital for shipping grain, oil, and oil products. Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania, as well Russia and Ukraine, share its waters. Shipping and insurance sources reported that war risk rates, which are determined by each underwriter and are based upon the value of the vessel, have risen to 0.5% from 0.4% a week earlier for calls to Ukrainian port. Sources said that the war risk...

After the Houthis' deadly attacks on commercial ships this week, commercial ships still sailing in the Red Sea broadcast messages about their nationality or even religion to their public tracking systems so as to avoid being targeted. The Red Sea is an important waterway for oil, commodities and other goods. However, traffic has declined sharply ever since the Houthi began their attacks on Yemen's coastline in November 2023. This was in support of the Palestinians during the Gaza War. After months of calm, the group has sunk two ships and Abdul Malik al-Houthi, its leader, reiterated that no company transporting...

According to data and shipping sources, Iran has sent small amounts of crude oil to destinations like Bangladesh and Oman. This is the latest indication that Tehran wants to maintain its output near to its highest level in five years. Iran's main revenue source is oil sales. The country has been trying to find ways to avoid U.S. sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018 on Tehran's nuclear program. Iran is not subject to the output quotas of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. It is aiming at maximising production and exports. According to the semiofficial Mehr News...

Yemen's Iranaligned Houthi motion stated on Sunday that it targeted the MV Groton vessel in the Gulf of Aden, claiming its first attack on shipping lanes because Israel performed a vindictive airstrike in Hodeidah port on July 20. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated in a televised declaration that the ship was attacked by ballistic rockets. British maritime company UKMTO and British security firm Ambrey stated on Saturday that the vessel was targeted by a. rocket 125 nautical miles east of Yemen's port of Aden. Both said the ship did not sustain damage and that no water. entry or oil...

Senior executives from Canadian oil and gas companies said that they expect sharply higher profits for 2026 due to a 'price surge caused by the Iran War.' However, these earnings will be returned to shareholders rather than invested in new major capital projects. The executives admitted that their financial fortunes had changed drastically in the wake the Middle East conflict, which has disrupted the global oil and natural gas supply and sent Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude benchmarks soaring. The CEOs of Canada, which is the fourth largest oil producer in the world, said that the shock in commodity...

The International Energy Agency has drastically cut their 'forecasts' for the growth of global oil supply and demand. Both are expected to drop from levels in 2025 as wars in the Middle East disrupt oil flows and weigh on a global economy. The IEA has revised its projections for global 'oil demand' to a decline of 80,000 barrels a day by?2026. This is compared to a projected increase year-on-year of 640,000 bpd iin the previous monthly report. The IEA stated that "demand destruction" will continue to spread as long as scarcity and high prices continue. It added that the Middle...

Commodities supercycles have the power to reshape market trends for many years, even decades. We appear to be back in one, as the Iran War has amplified a number of long-term bullish tendencies. Many investors are now asking how to engage in the supercycle, rather than whether they should. Oil recorded its biggest monthly gain ever following the U.S. and Israeli strike on Iran in February. Add to that the substantial gains in copper and gold since mid-2025, and the race to find energy, metals, and minerals to fuel the artificial-intelligence arms race. A commodities supercycle is underway. Commodities supercycles...

Alparslan bayraktar, the Energy Minister of Turkey, said that TPAO, Turkey's upstream oil and 'gas company will'start acquiring shares' in foreign companies as part 'of Ankara’s 'plans 'to develop international partnerships 'to boost its energy exploration. TotalEnergies, a French oil company, announced earlier that it had signed a preliminary agreement to explore 'Turkey’s Black Sea waters in search of hydrocarbons. This is the 'fifth such accord signed by Turkish firms with oil majors this year. "We will soon turn a new page, too." Bayraktar did not elaborate on the fact that TPAO will be entering a new field by purchasing...

Saudi Arabian crude oil sales to China will reach a new record low in?May as the U.S./Iran conflict increases prices and disrupts shipping. Saudi 'Aramco will ship approximately 20 million barrels to its Chinese customers for the month of May. This is equivalent to 645,161 barrels a day. Kpler data and Kpler's analysis show that this would be the lowest level ever recorded and less than half the 45 million barrels shipped by the Kingdom to China every month between January and February. According to sources who weren't authorised to speak with the media, major Chinese refiners Rongsheng Petrochemical and?Sinopec...

The Iran War and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has shattered the status quo among Middle East oil producers that had existed for decades. Even if the current, fragile ceasefire lasts, the uneasy, "new normal" will likely lead to another round of conflict. Tehran has now "demonstrated its ability and its willingness to strike critical infrastructure in the region and seal off the crucial waterway, changing the risk calculation for its neighbors and jeopardizing the long-term oil and gas strategies of Gulf countries. The six-week conflict exposed deep tensions among?the Islamic Republic's key regional neighbors Saudi Arabia, the...

Saudi Arabia said that it had restored the full capacity of the East-West oil pipeline to about seven million barrels per day. This was after assessing the damage caused by the attacks on the energy sector during the Iran conflict. According to the ministry, the energy facilities and pipelines that were damaged during the conflict are now operational again. Saudi Arabia did not say who was behind the attack, but it has intercepted Iranian missiles and drones many times in recent weeks. The strikes also disrupted key oil, gas and refining sites, as well as petrochemical, electricity and petrochemical sites,...

Analysts say that Florida residents are paying significantly more for gasoline and diesel than the national average in recent weeks due to the U.S. - Israeli war with Iran, which forces the Sunshine State into competition?with Europe and Asia over fuel produced by 'Texas' and other U.S. States. The high-end, rare premiums show how Iran's blockade of Strait of Hormuz exposed vulnerabilities to oil and fuel supply chain around the world. Florida is not a refinery state, due to its hurricane-prone nature. There are also no pipelines that deliver fuel from U.S. Gulf Coast refining plants. Fuel delivered by the...

For now, the war that shut down the Strait of Hormuz is over. Tehran's insistence on acting as the toll booth keeper at this world-critical oil chokepoint may leave energy markets exposed and lead to higher prices for many years. According to U.S. president Donald Trump, the U.S., Iran and Pakistan agreed on Tuesday to a ceasefire for two weeks, mediated by Pakistan. Tehran must halt its blockade against oil and gas traffic in the Strait. According to an Iranian official, the waterway through which a fifth (21 miles) of the world's oil and natural gas passed before the U.S./Israeli...

Federal Reserve policymakers could consider lowering interest rates this year, now that the?announcement of a two-week pause in the Iran conflict?has eased fears about a resurgence of inflation. However, with the uncertainty surrounding the prospects for peace, and oil prices 30% higher than their prewar level, it is still far from certain. On Wednesday, traders bet on the possible impact of a lasting Middle East settlement and the reopening of Strait of Hormuz for shipping. Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and an Iranian attack on a Saudi Arabian pipeline have raised uncertainty about the temporary truce. Minutes from the Fed meeting...

On Wednesday, the top U.S. General said that U.S. soldiers were ready to resume combat if Tehran did not reach a negotiated settlement. The Trump administration was trying to portray this 'war' as a decisive win against Iran. The remarks were made a day after Donald Trump backed away from a threatened civilization ending assault on Iran, on Tuesday night. Two hours before the deadline that he set for Tehran to open up the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. U.S. officials and Iranian officials will meet for talks in Pakistan on Friday. "We hope Iran chooses peace," said General Dan Caine...

An industry source said that Iran attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline only a few hours after a ceasefire agreement was reached to pause the Iran war. It hit its sole crude oil export route ever since hostilities started. An industry source said that the Iranians targeted Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline - its sole outlet for exporting crude - as well as other facilities within the Kingdom. After?Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and trapped huge quantities of oil and natural gas in the Gulf, prices soared. Sources said that the flow of oil through the pipeline is expected to be...