Oil prices climbed more than 2% in Monday trading after the United States and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time in weeks and Iran reported a supertanker striking sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The developments ended a period of relative calm in the six-month conflict and immediately revived supply-risk fears for a […]
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ENB Pub Note: This article first ran on The Crude Truth Substack, and I agree with Rey Trevino’s viewpoints. I would also add that Bloomberg is reporting this morning that Venezuela is weighing the benefits of remaining in OPEC. Now that it is not selling oil to China at a huge discount, it will be […]
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Iraq is pushing aggressively to more than double its oil production capacity, targeting 8–10 million barrels per day (bpd) within six years—up from roughly 4 million bpd before the recent Iran-related regional conflict disrupted Strait of Hormuz shipping. On August 21, 2026, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the goal at the Baghdad Dialog conference and […]
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Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that its forces targeted Saudi Aramco’s Jazan (also spelled Jizan) oil refinery on the Red Sea coast in southwest Saudi Arabia with “a number of drones.” A Houthi military source told the group’s Saba news agency the strike was “precise” and conducted in response to […]
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The ambitious plan to build a major new crude oil export route from Iraq through Syria to the Mediterranean—explicitly designed to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz—will require at least four years of construction and an investment of $15 billion or more, according to sources directly involved in the project speaking to Reuters on […]
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As the Iran-U.S. conflict grinds toward the six-month mark in mid-August 2026, Tehran continues to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz—the critical chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG once flowed—while the United States maintains a naval blockade on Iranian ports and escalates economic pressure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has signaled […]
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Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO has confirmed that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is among the buyers of its crude, with cargoes exiting via the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing regional conflict and severe disruptions to normal shipping. Ali Nizar, director-general of SOMO, stated in a text message that “Adnoc is one of the […]
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Geopolitical risks are colliding across multiple theaters in early August 2026, creating a perfect storm for energy markets. The Strait of Hormuz is flaring again, with Iranian loadings collapsing toward zero. Saudi Arabia’s Jazan refinery has been hit by Houthi drones for the second time in weeks. Ukraine continues deep strikes on Russian refining infrastructure, […]
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For years, the dominant energy narrative has been a single, heavily marketed story: the world is undergoing an inevitable, morally urgent transition away from fossil fuels toward wind, solar, and battery storage. Climate activists, aligned media, and policymakers have framed this as both destiny and imperative. As David Blackmon observed in his August 2, 2026, […]
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Iran-backed militias operating from Iraqi territory launched drone attacks targeting oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, according to Saudi authorities. The incidents add pressure on the kingdom’s energy infrastructure amid ongoing regional tensions and constraints on its crude oil export routes. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry […]
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