Shipping data shows that a tanker loaded with Iraqi crude oil passes through Hormuz.

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• Data shows that a container ship owned by CMA CGM and French-owned has passed the Strait of Hormuz.

  MarineTraffic vessel tracker data indicates that a container ship owned by French shipping group CMA CGM has 'crossed the Strait of Hormuz. This is a sign Iran may not view France as a hostile country. The Malta-flagged Kribi owned by CMA CGM crossed the Strait of Hormuz on April 2, and is the 'first French-owned ship to make it through since the?U.S. - Israeli attacks in Iran began at the end February. The Strait was the route of about a fifth global oil and gas supplies before the war effectively closed it. The data did not reveal how the vessel that was sailing south along the coast of Oman had secured safe passage. LSEG shipping information showed that the vessel changed its destination on 'Thursday' to 'Owner France', signaling to 'Iranian authorities' the 'nationality' of its owner. The ship was originally bound for Pointe-Noire, in the Republic of the Congo. CMA CGM didn't immediately?respond? to a?request for comment. The French foreign ministry declined to comment. (Reporting from Dominique Vidalon in Paris, John Irish in Oslo and Nerijus Adomiaitis in Paris; editing by Inti Lauro).

• Hyundai Motors flags shipping disruptions due to Middle East conflict

  Hyundai Motor stated on Friday that the conflict in the Middle East was disrupting exports from Europe to North Africa. These vehicles typically transit through the Middle East. This highlights the growing strain on global supply chains. The disruption shows how the conflict is blocking key shipping routes and driving up costs. It also delays deliveries and adds pressure to the automaker's suppliers. Hyundai Motor, with its Kia Corp affiliate, is the third largest automaker in the world by sales. The company warned that the Iran War's impact would last even if it ended soon. Kim Dong-jo is a senior 'vice president in Hyundai Motor's Global Policy Office. He said that rebuilding supply chain would take some time. Kim said that even if the war ends, it would take time to rebuild the supply chains. He was speaking in Pyeongtaek - Dangjin Port southwest of Seoul, where government officials met with logistics companies and automakers to assess the effects of the conflict. The meeting was held at a port, where cars were parked on the wharf for a giant vehicle transporter that would carry 4,900 vehicles to the U.S. West Coast. Kim said that the rising costs of raw materials and logistics, linked to the conflict, were also putting pressure on parts suppliers and production. He added that Hyundai worked with its suppliers and government to minimize disruption. Hyundai Motor Group’s logistics unit, Hyundai glovis, has said that it is currently unable access certain Middle East routes. This forces it to temporarily store goods at alternative locations, until conditions stabilize. While the company's routes to North America’s west and east coasts were not significantly affected, it said that restricted access to Middle East and increased fuel costs were hindering operations and efficiency. South Korea's Trade minister Yeo Han Koo said that?some shipments are being diverted to intermediary hubs like Sri Lanka where they are held?while the companies reassess if transport can resume. Reports last month stated that used cars from Japan could not enter Sri Lanka due to the congestion in ports caused by cargo diverted away from Dubai during the Middle East conflict. South Korea's exports to the Middle East dropped 49% in March, despite their highest growth in nearly four decades. Auto exports were largely unchanged as supply disruptions and strong demand for eco-friendly vehicles offset each other. Hyundai Motor said Thursday that it sold 358 759?vehicles worldwide in March. This is down 2.3% compared to a year ago. Domestic sales fell by 2.0%, and overseas sales declined by 2.4%. The shares of Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Glovis fell by 1.2% and 0.7% respectively on Friday, compared to the benchmark KOSPI which rose 2.7%. Daewoung Kim reported from Pyeongtaek and Heekyong Ya, Jihoon Le and Hyunjoo Ji in Seoul, with additional reporting by Heekyong Yan, JihoonLee and Hyunjoo Ji in Seoul. Editing was done by Ed Davies.

• Kremlin: Russia does not want to harm US oil business with CPC

  Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson on Friday, said that Russia does not seek to undermine U.S. interests in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. He was answering a question regarding comments made by several Russian experts on state television, who suggested that Russia should stop oil deliveries via the CPC to Kazakhstan as a response to Washington sanctions against Russia. CPC, in which U.S. oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron are major shareholders, exports oil from a Russian port on the Black Sea. Peskov said in a daily press conference that "along with our American partners, we also have Kazakh partners." Despite everything, Russia is still a reliable guarantor for global energy security. CPC's terminal, which is near the?Russian?Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk was attacked by Ukrainian drones. The company has had to reduce its operations as a result. Peskov accused Ukraine "energy blackmail" for?the strikes. He said that?they were causing Russian and?U.S. Peskov accused Ukraine of "energy blackmail" over?the strikes, which he said?were causing Russian,?U.S. Reporting by Dmitry Antonov. Vladimir Soldatkin wrote the article. Mark Trevelyan, Mark Potter and Mark Trevelyan edited the text.

• As the Middle East conflict escalates, airlines cancel more flights

  The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran War. Many people are unable to travel to their destinations as planned after major Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi were closed. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES The largest Greek?carrier cancelled flights from Tel Aviv to Beirut, Amman and Erbil until April 22. Baghdad and Erbil were also canceled until May 24. Dubai flights have been canceled until April 19, and Riyadh flights until April 18. AIRBALTIC All flights to Tel Aviv have been cancelled by Latvia's AirBaltic until April 29. All flights to Dubai are cancelled until October 24. AIR CANADA All flights from Canada to Tel Aviv and Dubai have been cancelled until May 2. AIR EUROPA Spanish Airlines has cancelled all flights from Tel Aviv to April 10. AIR FRANCE KLM Air France has cancelled Tel Aviv, Beirut and Dubai flights until April 4, and Riyadh and Dubai flights until March 31. They have also cancelled an April 1 departure out of Dubai. KLM has suspended flights until May 17 to Tel Aviv and Riyadh. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled all flights to Dubai and Riyadh up until May 31. In April, the airline will increase its passenger flights to London and Paris, as well as adding capacity in London. The U.S. airline cancelled all flights between New York and Tel Aviv, and put off the start of Atlanta-Tel Aviv until September 5. The airline said that the launch of its Boston-Tel Aviv flight, scheduled for late October, has been postponed until further notice. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES Customers who were planning to leave Israel by April 4 have had their flights, and return flights as well, cancelled. The airline is operating a small number of flights. EMIRATES The UAE airline announced that it would operate a reduced schedule after a partial opening of the regional airspace. ETIHAD AERWAYS The UAE carrier announced that it operated a limited schedule of commercial flights between Abu Dhabi, and approximately?80 destinations. FINNAIR The Finnish airline has cancelled all flights to Dubai until March 29, and Doha until July 2. It continues to avoid the airspace over Iraq, Iran and Syria. FLYNAS Saudi budget airline Flynas has suspended flights to Dubai and Abu?Dhabi until March 31. British Airways, owned by IAG, has extended the cancellation of flights to Amman and Bahrain until May 31, and Doha until April 30. Flights to Bangkok and Singapore have also been added. Flights to Abu Dhabi are suspended until the end of this year. INDIGO The Indian airline has temporarily suspended its operations in Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain, Dammam as well as Fujairah Ras Al Khaimah Sharjah and Fujairah. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled flights between Tokyo and Doha until April 10, and Doha to Tokyo until April 11. All flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai and back have been cancelled, according to the Polish airline. The airline has also cancelled all flights to Riyadh and Beirut until April 30, as well as to Riyadh from March 31 through April 30. LUFTHANSA GROUP Lufthansa and other airlines, including Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines as well as Edelweiss, have suspended flights from Dubai and Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi until May 31 and to Amman, Beirut Dammam, Riyadh Erbil Muscat and Tehran to October 24. Lufthansa Cargo will be the same except for Tel Aviv, which is suspended until April 30. Eurowings, a low-cost carrier, plans to suspend flights to Tel Aviv through April 30, and to Beirut, Erbil, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until October 24. MALAYSIA AIRLINES Malaysia Airlines has suspended flights to Doha until April 15 NORWEGIAN AIR It has delayed the launch of Tel Aviv services from April 1, to April 4 respectively. All Dubai flights have been cancelled through April 8. PEGASUS Pegasus Airlines, Turkey, has cancelled all flights to Iran, Iraq and other countries including Amman, Beirut Kuwait, Bahrain Doha Dammam Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah until April 13th. Pegasus Airlines, Turkey's national airline, has cancelled its flights to Iran, Iraq and other countries including Amman in Lebanon. Kuwait Airways is also cancelling their flights until April 13. QANTAS Australia's flag-carrier is adding flights to Rome, Paris and London to meet a surge in demand for European routes. Perth-Singapore will be increased from daily service to ten flights per week, and five return flights to Paris per week. QATAR AIRWAYS The airline said that it would only operate a limited number of flights up until the 28th March. SINGAPORE Airlines The carrier has extended its suspension of Singapore-Dubai flights to April 30 and added services on Singapore-London Gatwick, Singapore-Melbourne, from late March until the 24th of October in order to meet increased demand. TURKISH AIRLINES Turkish Airlines has canceled most Middle East flights up until the end March. SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and SunExpress has cancelled flights from Dubai to Bahrain to April 30. WIZZ AIR The low-cost carrier has suspended flights from Europe to Israel and other destinations in the Middle East until mid-September. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed; edited by Matt Scuffham and Mill Nissi Prussak.

• China's Pony.ai will more than double the robotaxi fleet and debut in Zagreb

  Pony.ai, based in Guangzhou, said that it expects its fleet of robotaxis to be able to double to 3,000 units this year across 20 cities worldwide. The company plans to launch Europe's very first robotaxi service in Croatia's capital Zagreb. Nearly half will be overseas. Pony.ai - which debuted its international operations in Doha in Qatar - joins other Chinese autonomous driving companies such as WeRide, Baidu's Apollo Go and Baidu, who are also expanding overseas. The fleet and operations will be managed by Croatian startup Verne. The service will be integrated into Uber's platform. This partnership creates an efficient and scalable path for international expansion. Pony.ai could share in the recurring revenue streams generated by local commercial services, said James Peng. The company has performed?on-road tests in regions like the Middle East and Singapore. Pony.ai's first profitable quarter was its fourth quarter net profit of $75.5 Million. The company achieved profitability in Guangzhou and Shenzhen by achieving single-unit profitability. The firm said that the increase in fair value of trading stocks was a major factor. The fourth quarter saw a six-fold increase in revenue from fare-charging, largely due to a larger fleet and higher adoption rates by users. As of Wednesday, the?company's total fleet size was 1,446 vehicles. This is up from fewer than 300 cars a year ago. (Reporting and editing by Qiaoyi Li, Ju-min Park)

• Canadian Finance Minister discusses supply chain integrity at meeting in China

  The Canadian finance minister stated on Friday that he had discussed supply chain integrity with his counterparts in China during a meeting aimed at boosting trade. Ottawa is under scrutiny from the United States over its labour laws. The Finance Minister Francois Philippe Champagne told reporters the meeting was primarily focused on the financial sector, but also included trade in energy and pork. Canada is working to increase its overall exports to China by 50% by 2030. Champagne stated that "Canada places a high priority on the 'integrity of supply chains' and that our trade should be conducted according to 'international standards. The U.S. Trade Representative's Office announced in March that it had launched a second round of Section 301 unfair trading practice investigations of 60 economies including Canada. This was due to the failure to act on what they called forced labor. China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth C$120 billion (US$86.1 billion). According to the official Chinese summary of Champagne's Friday meeting with Vice Premier He Lifeng, the two have agreed to hold a high-level financial and economic dialogue in the second part of this year. Champagne said that Stellantis had not been in contact with the automotive sector, despite reports that they were discussing building 'electric vehicles' in Canada with Zhejiang?Leapmotor Technology. ($1 = 1.3934 Canadian dollars)

• Japan denies reports that the government requested trading houses to accompany Russia's visit in May

  The Japanese government denied on Friday a report from Kyodo News Agency that it had asked the country's leading trading houses to join a delegation planning to visit Russia in may. Kyodo reported late on Thursday that, citing its sources, the government expects that Japanese firms will resume full business operations in Russia once the war with Ukraine has ended. It was added that the government had requested participation from Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Itochu Sumitomo Corp and Marubeni. "As far as the accuracy of the report is concerned, it's not true." "The Japanese government will continue to implement sanctions against Russia", Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru K. Kihara said at a regular press conference. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, and diplomatic efforts on the international level have yet to lead to a peaceful settlement. Japan joined a range of western sanctions against Russia, and stopped importing most oil after 2022. The U.S. and Israel's war against?Iran has halted shipments through the Strait of?Hormuz, putting Japan at risk. Separately, the Japan's Industry Ministry said it had not made any such "requests" to trading companies. Marubeni declined to comment. Other companies did not respond immediately when asked for comment. (Reporting and editing by Kim Coghill, Katya Golubkova Tamiyuki, Kaori Kaneko, Kentaro Okasaka)

• Kyodo reports that the Japanese government has asked top trading firms to accompany a Russia visit scheduled for May.

  Kyodo News Agency reported that the Japanese government has asked the top trading houses in Japan to join a delegation planning to visit Russia in May. Kyodo reported late Thursday that the government expects Japanese companies to resume full business in Russia "once its war against Ukraine is over". The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, and international diplomatic efforts have yet to lead to a peace agreement. Japan joined the wide range of sanctions imposed by the west on Russia, and stopped importing most oil after '2022. The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran has halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, causing Japan to rely on Middle East oil for 90% of its needs. Kyodo reported that the government had requested participation from Mitsubishi and Mitsui O.S.K Lines, as well as?sumitomo Corp., 'Marubeni', &?itochu. (Reporting and editing by Kim Coghill; reporting by Katya Golubkova)

• Fuel costs are increasing, so airlines are reducing their prices and cutting back on their outlook.

  The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, which has pushed up jet fuel prices, has shook the aviation industry around the world. Airlines have been forced to increase fares and revise their financial forecasts. In recent weeks, jet fuel prices have increased from $85-$90 per barrel to $150-$200 per barrel. This is a major financial blow to an industry that relies on fuel for up to 25% of its operating costs. Here is an alphabetical list of the ways airlines are responding to this issue: AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline anticipates that the suspension of Middle East flights, as well as the spike in fuel costs, will have a "notable impact" on its results for the first quarter. AIR FRANCE-KLM The airline group announced that it would increase the price of long-haul tickets to offset rising fuel costs. Cabin fares will rise by 57?euros (50?euros) per round trip. AIR NEW ZEALAND On March 10, the airline was among the first to announce a large increase in ticket prices. The airline also halted its earnings projections for the full year due to volatile fuel markets. AKASA AIR Akasa Airlines, based in India, announced that it would be imposing a fuel surcharge on both domestic and international flights ranging from 199 to 1,300 Indian Rupees ($2 - $14). AMERICAN AIRLINES Fuel prices are on the rise, and American Airlines expects to incur $400 million more in expenses for the first quarter. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines announced that it will increase its fuel surcharges by 34% on all routes starting April 1, and to review them every 2 weeks. The CEO of the carrier said that it would maintain its flight capacity despite high fuel costs, but warned that its 10% growth plan for passenger capacity could be altered if demand drops due to high fuel prices. CEBU AIR The Philippines-based carrier said that the sharp increase in fuel prices is a major concern. It will continue to review pricing and network strategies and try to minimize the impact. EASYJET EasyJet CEO Kentonjarvis warned that European consumers can expect to pay higher prices for tickets towards the end of the summer when fuel hedges will end. FRONTIER AÉRIENS Fuel prices have increased dramatically since the airline's forecast. HONG KONG Airlines The airline announced that it would increase fuel surcharges up to 35% starting March 12, with the largest increases on flights between Hong Kong, the Maldives and Bangladesh, and Nepal. Charges would go from HK$284 to HK$384 (49 dollars). British Airways' owner IAG announced on March 10 that it does not intend to raise ticket prices immediately as it has hedged a large amount of fuel in the short to medium term. INDIGO India's largest airline announced that it will introduce fuel charges for domestic and international flights starting March 14. The charge for flights into the Middle East is 900 rupees and for flights to Europe, 2,300 rupees. Sources say that the company also lobbys for the Indian government to reduce fuel taxes. JETBLUE AERWAYS Low cost airline based in the United States has announced that it will increase fees for optional services, such as checked luggage, due to "rising operating expenses." The company announced that baggage prices would increase by $4 or $9. KOREAN AIR A source familiar with the situation said that South Korea's flag carrier would enter emergency mode in April as rising oil costs weigh on its costs. The airline will implement phased responses based on the oil price level and increase company-wide efficiency to offset rising fuel costs. PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS Fuel surcharges are cited as the reason for raising domestic fares up to $20, and international fares up to $100. Scandinavian Airlines announced that it would cancel 1000 flights in April due to high fuel and oil prices. In March, the airline said that it had cancelled "a couple hundred" flights. SAS, which has already raised flight prices, said that even if they tried to absorb rising fuel costs, it would still be a major blow to the aviation sector. SPRING AIRLINES Budget Chinese airline announced that it will increase fuel surcharges for domestic flights starting April 5. Details to be announced in due course. THAI AIRWAYS The Thailand-based airline said that it would increase fares between 10% and 15% in order to combat rising fuel prices. LUFTHANSA, TURKISH AIRLINES SunExpress, the joint venture between Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Lufthansa announced that it will impose a temporary 10 euro fuel surcharge per passenger on routes between Turkey, Europe and Middle East from May 1. The fuel surcharge will be applied to all bookings made after April 1 and for departures after May 1. UNITED AIRLINES Scott Kirby, CEO of the U.S. carrier, said that the airline will cut unprofitable flights in the next two quarters to prepare for the oil price remaining above $100 by the end 2027. Andrew Nocella, United's Chief Commercial Officer, said that the company was able to increase fares in response to a rapid rise in jet fuel and oil prices. In an email, the carrier said that it would also be increasing the first and second checked bags fees by $10 to customers travelling in North America, Mexico, Canada, and Latin America. VIETJET A potential fuel shortage has led to the Vietnamese budget airline reducing flight frequencies on certain routes. VIETNAM Airline Vietnam's aviation authority announced that the carrier would cancel 23 flights a week on domestic routes starting in April after it requested government assistance for the removal of an environmental tax. VIRGIN AUSTRALIA Virgin Australia announced that it would be adjusting its fares in order to reflect the rising costs across the aviation sector, which were being exacerbated significantly by the Middle East situation. GREATER BAY Airlines Greater Bay Airlines, based in Hong Kong, said that it would increase fuel surcharges for most routes starting April 1, due to increased fuel prices related to the Iran War. However, charges on routes to mainland China and Japan will remain unchanged. The carrier has announced that the surcharge on flights between Hong Kong, Philippines and other destinations will be more than doubled.

• EU must increase its Aspides Naval Mission to protect key maritime routes.

  Kaja Kallas, the EU's chief of foreign policy, stated that the EU must?increase its Aspides Naval?mission in order to protect?maritime routes from disruptions caused by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Kallas' comments?on X? came after she took part?in a conference call with over 40 countries?organised?by British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper to discuss a joint action...to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. "Thank you @YvetteCooperMP, for convening a call of more than 40 countries to discuss the Strait of Hormuz. This waterway is of global importance. Iran can't charge other countries a bounty for allowing ships to pass. "International law does not recognise schemes that charge to pass," wrote Kallas in X. Today, we looked at a number of?diplomatic and economic measures, as well as security measures, to help restore safe passage. We also worked with the shipping industry. The EU's Aspides mission has already helped 1,700 ships in the Red Sea and must be scaled up. She added, "We cannot afford to lose yet another important trade route." Sudip Kar Gupta reports.

• Sources say that drone attacks are reducing exports and causing a reduction in Russian oil production.

  Three industry sources told Reuters that a Russian oil production cut is imminent due to Ukraine's strike on pipelines, port infrastructure and refineries, which has reduced export capacity by a million barrels / day or 5% of the total, according to their report. The conflict in the Middle East has already caused unprecedented disruptions in oil supply. A reduction in output from Russia, the second largest exporter in the world, will add to this. Ukraine intensified its attacks over the past month on Russia's oil-export infrastructure. Ukraine's drone attacks are the most intense of its four-year-long war. They target the Baltic ports Ust-Luga, and Primorsk to weaken Russia’s economy. According to three sources in the industry, at least 20% of Russia’s total export capability is not working. This is down from 40% last March but enough to have an impact, they say, on Russian oil production. It's the third largest in the world after Saudi Arabia and the United States. Sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of 'the sensitive nature of the situation. OIL IS CHEKED INTO OIL PIPELINES Russia's main Baltic Ust-Luga oil port suspended exports last week after heavy drone attacks and fires. Sources said that as Ukrainian drones targeted?both domestic refineries and export infrastructure,' the Russian oil pipeline system was choked up with oil, and storage was filling. They said that some oilfields would have to reduce production to prevent further flooding of the system. Russia has benefitted from the rise in oil prices ever since U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran began at the end of February, but cutting energy production would still hurt as oil and gas account for a quarter state budget revenues. Limited Pipeline Capacity Before the Baltic port attacks, Russia's capacity to export oil had already been squeezed. The Druzhba Pipeline, which supplies oil into Hungary and Slovakia since January, was suspended. Transneft, the state-controlled pipeline monopoly, pumps more than 80% (of Russia's) oil. Transneft, as well as the Russian energy ministry, did not respond to our requests for comment. Transneft informed exporters, according to sources, that Ust-Luga could not load oil to meet the initial exporting schedule because of recent damage. Transneft, according to one of the sources, was also unable import all oil from producers for export via Ust-Luga. According to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russian oil production was 9.184 million barrels a day in February. Source could not specify how much production might be reduced. The oil export loading schedule for the first half of April was not expected to be completed, but loading allocations for second half of month were still in place. RUSSIAN Production Faded Slightly Last Year According to Russian data, the Russian oil production fell only by 0.8% last year to?10,28 million bpd, which is around a 10th of global output. This was despite Western sanctions as well as Ukrainian drone attacks against refineries. Sources claim that the bottleneck at Ust-Luga is not just affecting Russian oil exports but also Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan exports between 200,000 and 400,000 metric tons of KEBCO crude oil per month via Ust-Luga. The sources stated that seasonal oil refinery maintenance in Russia is a major factor in the problem of excess oil in the Transneft System, as the excess grows when the refineries are processing less oil. In March and April, when Russia performs seasonal refinery maintenance work, it increases crude oil exports. But this time, refinery closures may result in more oil being stored. No official figures are available on the amount of storage space. According to one source, there is enough food for a few weeks but not months. Guy Faulconbridge, Barbara Lewis and Guy Faulconbridge (reporting)

• Czech government will cap fuel retailer's margins and lower excise taxes

  Andrej Babis, the Prime Minister of Czech Republic, said on Thursday that the government had agreed to cap fuel retailer's margins and reduce excise tax to limit fuel prices rising. Other governments in central Europe have also taken measures to reduce the impact of fuel prices resulting from the conflict in the Middle East, and the rising price of oil. Babis said at a press conference that the "chaos", caused by the lack of coordination between the central European countries, was due to the fact they had adopted?various?measures in order to curb the fallout from energy crisis. He said that his government would'start price controls on April 8 by capping margins on gasoline and diesel at?2.50 Crowns ($0.12), and by lowering the tax on diesel from 9.95 Crowns per litre to 2.35 Crowns. He said that a'maximum price would be set each day under the system. Babis stated, "We believe this is a measure that will help everyone - citizens, businesses and the economy." Since the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran began on February 28, fuel prices have increased. Since the beginning of the conflict, the average price for gasoline per litre in the Czech Republic has increased by around 8 crowns to 41.60?crowns. CTK reported that diesel prices have risen around 15 crowns per litre to 48.33, citing data from fleet service provider CCS. The government has already taken the step of releasing 100,000 tonnes of crude oil from the state reserves to the sole refiner in the country, Orlen Unipetrol. Orlen and MOL, both of which are large fuel retailers with refinery systems in Hungary, have both a presence here. Central Europe has also been affected by an interruption in the supply of Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary, due to an issue with the Druzhba Pipeline in Ukraine. Kyiv claimed that a Russian strike had damaged pipeline equipment.