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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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, […]
Continue Reading
The Strait of Hormuz remains the world’s most critical — and most contested — energy chokepoint. Roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG trade normally flows through its narrow waters. Yet since the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran began in late February 2026, traffic has collapsed to a fraction of pre-war levels, sending shockwaves through […]
Continue Reading
Even the most optimistic reopening of the Strait of Hormuz won’t deliver a quick fix. Physical barrels tell a far harsher story than paper futures. Art Berman (@aeberman12) nailed it in his May 25, 2026, post: There is no clean, modelable “successful reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz. Even in the wildly optimistic scenario, the […]
Continue Reading
In the shadow of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran — marked by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the largest oil supply disruption in modern history — Saudi Arabia stands out as a clear winner. While many Gulf producers face sharp production cuts, export halts, and economic contractions, the Kingdom under Crown […]
Continue Reading
In a significant escalation of regional conflict, a drone strike targeted the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE’s Al Dhafra region on May 17, 2026. The incident, which sparked a fire in an external electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter, has raised immediate concerns about nuclear safety and energy infrastructure vulnerability in the […]
Continue Reading
In a decisive move that underscores its strategic pivot amid ongoing regional tensions and its recent departure from OPEC, the United Arab Emirates is accelerating infrastructure to dramatically expand its oil export capacity, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. On May 15, 2026, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan directed […]
Continue Reading