Cheniere Energy has handed over the last piece of its Corpus Christi Stage 3 expansion just as the global LNG market is being pulled in two directions: Asia bidding hard for cargoes, and Europe trying to refill storage that is running well behind seasonal norms. The timing is not a coincidence. It is the point […]
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In a striking visual that feels pulled straight from a post-apocalyptic film set, the United Arab Emirates has completed the installation of massive metal “cope cages” over key oil and gas storage tanks in Abu Dhabi, with similar structures already in place or under construction near Dubai. These large steel mesh and framework enclosures are […]
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On August 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sweeping sanctions targeting digital asset exchanges and networks used by the Iranian regime to launder funds, evade sanctions, and support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other terrorist groups. The action hits two major platforms exploited by […]
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Citigroup has raised its third-quarter 2026 Brent crude forecast to $80 per barrel from $75, citing the prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict and continued constraints on oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The bank left its fourth-quarter 2026 forecast unchanged at $70 per barrel and continues to project an average of $65 per barrel for full-year […]
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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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As the Strait of Hormuz reopens following the mid-June U.S.-Iran ceasefire and sanctions waiver on Iranian oil sales (valid until August 21, 2026), Middle East crude flows are recovering, and tanker traffic is picking up. However, a key market twist has emerged: Asian refiners, who aggressively sourced non-Middle Eastern crude during the disruption, now have […]
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The United Arab Emirates is accelerating an ambitious strategy to achieve zero dependency on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints. This comes amid recent regional tensions and a temporary closure of the strait following the Iran-US conflict earlier in 2026. Bloomberg reports, citing an interview with UAE Minister of […]
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US physical crude prices are easing as the wartime risk premium fades and Middle Eastern barrels prepare to return to global markets. The shift comes amid clear signs of de-escalation in the US-Iran conflict, including the passage of Iranian tankers past the US naval blockade today and the resumption of flows through the Strait of […]
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In a significant move to bolster energy security amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Japan’s JERA — the world’s largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) — has secured a landmark 20-year supply contract with Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas. The deal, announced today following high-level talks between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Malaysian […]
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Kuwait is actively pursuing pipeline routes to bypass the Strait of Hormuz as ongoing tensions have effectively choked off the Persian Gulf’s primary oil export artery. Sheik Nawaf Al-Sabah, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. (KPC), the state-owned oil producer, disclosed the initiative during a conference in Washington on Tuesday. According to Sheik Nawaf, […]
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