ENB Pub Note: Interesting Article from Andrew Korybko’s Newsletter on Substack. We recommend following him. The Sino-Russo Entente might evolve into a de facto alliance if South Korea and Japan join AUKUS+, the US’ de facto “Asian NATO”, but that risks spooking India into a de facto alliance with the US to counterbalance perceived Chinese […]
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WASHINGTON/BEIJING – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a stark update on Iran’s oil sector while in Beijing for the Trump-Xi summit, declaring that Iran’s primary export terminal at Kharg Island has reached 100% storage capacity. No oil loadings have occurred in the past three days, ships are neither entering nor leaving, and production shutdowns […]
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While global oil markets grapple with the fallout from the Strait of Hormuz disruptions and seek a path toward price recovery, one player is quietly rewriting the rules: China. Through years of deliberate, long-range planning, Beijing has transformed its strategic petroleum reserves into a powerful tool for energy security—and, unintentionally or not, a distorting force […]
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Independent “teapot” refiners in China — the smaller, privately owned facilities concentrated in Shandong province that account for roughly a quarter of the country’s refining capacity — are slashing production rates as the ongoing paralysis in the Strait of Hormuz drives crude prices higher and crushes refining margins. According to industry sources cited by Reuters […]
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As U.S. naval pressure intensifies around Iran’s ports and the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is accelerating use of its overland rail connection to China as a sanctions-busting “back door.” The route, part of Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure push, offers a faster, blockade-resistant alternative for goods — but how much can it really move, especially […]
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The ongoing conflict in the Middle East — sparked by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in early 2026 — has delivered an unexpected windfall to the Kremlin. Global oil prices surged as threats to the Strait of Hormuz disrupted supplies from the region, pushing benchmark prices above $100 per barrel at peaks and lifting […]
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UAE Hit by drones, U.S. Navy escorts ships out, and California is up to no good. What a wild day on the News Desk. President Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran started lobbing drones and missiles around. Bagdad Bob showed up in Iran and claimed that […]
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ENB Pub Note: This article is from Andrew Korybko’s Substack newsletter, and we recommend following and subscribing. Absent a deal with Trump, which Putin could be further induced to agree to if Trump promises to reduce US pressure on some – but not all – of these countries, Russia might lose all 15 of these […]
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced its withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the broader OPEC+ alliance, effective May 1, 2026—marking the end of nearly 60 years of membership since 1967. This move strips OPEC of its third-largest producer and delivers a significant blow to the cartel’s ability to […]
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In a landmark testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee and follow-up statements, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has outlined a bold new strategy: expanding permanent dollar swap facilities with Gulf and Asian allies to reinforce U.S. dollar dominance amid global energy shocks. This comes as the traditional petrodollar framework—anchored by a 50-year arrangement with Saudi […]
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