In the escalating conflicts of mid-2026, the world’s most critical maritime energy arteries face simultaneous pressure from military actions, proxy threats, and environmental stresses. The Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Suez Canal, and even the Caspian Sea region have become flashpoints, disrupting flows of oil, LNG, fertilizers, and other commodities. Russian tankers are forced […]
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Saudi Arabia’s carefully constructed workaround for oil exports is hitting severe constraints on two fronts at once: kinetic threats from Yemen’s Houthis and commercial barriers from the London marine insurance market centered on Lloyd’s. The result is a growing bottleneck at the Red Sea that threatens a key remaining outlet for Saudi crude and products, […]
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This article first ran on The Energy News Beat Substack – Head over there to comment. The global oil market is once again being reshaped by simultaneous disruptions across multiple critical maritime and pipeline choke points. As of late July 2026, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal routes, and Caspian-linked export corridors […]
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Rey Trevino, Crude Truth Podcast Host and President at Pecos Operating, stops by. Oil is down this morning as this podcast was recorded yesterday. The world is not out of the woods yet, and we are going to see some volatility. Some are saying $200, but I think demand destruction and problems will kick in […]
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West Texas Intermediate crude hovered near $90 per barrel on July 23, 2026, with Brent trading higher in the mid-to-high $90s amid escalating disruptions across multiple global oil transit routes. Markets are reacting to simultaneous pressures on four critical choke points: the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal corridor, and the […]
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Oil markets are back on edge. Brent crude has surged above $90 per barrel for the first time in weeks, driven by a fresh attack on a Kuwaiti tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and renewed fighting between the United States and Iran. Early Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported […]
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Energy News Beat Stand Up – Buckle Up – 10 Huge Stories Welcome to the Energy News Beat Standup, where host Stu Turley breaks down the 10 biggest energy stories reshaping global markets. In this episode, we dive into a world in flux: Russia’s refining capacity is crumbling under Ukrainian drone strikes, Iraq is suspending […]
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In a development that echoes broader regional efforts to reduce vulnerability to the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, ExxonMobil is emerging as a key partner in Iraq’s drive for energy self-sufficiency—particularly by ending its costly and geopolitically sensitive dependence on Iranian natural gas. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met directly with ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods in […]
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Chevron Corp. is set to sign non-binding memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the Iraqi government on Friday, advancing negotiations for major investments in two of Iraq’s key oil fields while joining efforts to develop pipelines that would allow Iraqi crude exports to bypass the vulnerable Strait of Hormuz. The move signals deepening U.S.-Iraq energy ties […]
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Iraq has suspended crude oil loading operations at all its southern export terminals following a drone incident at the Basra (Basrah) terminal complex in the Persian Gulf. The move affects a significant portion of the country’s exports, which normally average around 3.3–3.6 million barrels per day (bpd) via these facilities (with some market commentary citing […]
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