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At least two oil and chemical tankers were forced to turn away from the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after the United States moved to enforce a naval blockade, according to maritime tracking data. One of the vessels, Rich Starry, which had listed its destination as China, reportedly reversed course within minutes of the blockade taking effect, data from MarineTraffic showed. Responding to the developments, China issued a strong message signalling it would continue its maritime activity in the region. Defence Minister Dong Jun said Chinese vessels would keep operating in the area and warned against external interference. “Our ships...

.BREAKING: 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia fully restores East-West oil pipeline, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz and pumping 7,000,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia says it needs no more strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump was non-committal on what could happen to the price of oil ahead of November’s midterm elections — even floating the prospect that they could go “a little bit higher.” In an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo quizzed Trump on whether his newly-announced naval blockade on ships going in and out of the Strait of Hormuz. “Is this all going to be enough, the blockade in the strait, the opening up capacity in the United States, is this going to enough to lower the price of oil and gas, sir?” Bartiromo said. The...

Investors around the globe on Wednesday cheered what appears to be the beginning of the end of the military clash between the U.S. and Iran, sending stocks higher and government bond yields lower. Oil prices plunged on the promise that the Strait of Hormuz may soon be open for shipping.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up by 1,000 points by midday, a 2.3 percent gain. The S&P 500 rose 2.1 percent. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 2.6 percent. Stocks had been even higher earlier in the morning but pared gains as reports on ongoing missle strikes and a drone attack on...

Published in the April 3 edition of the Santa Fe New Mexican. Below text from NMOGA website I grew up in Carlsbad. I went away for college, but I came back as quickly as I could. Coming home was always the goal, and I’m proud to be back. I love this state. I love its people, its landscape and its stubborn independence. The oil and gas industry I represent is made up of people just like me: New Mexicans who were born here, who raised families here, who chose to build their lives and livelihoods here. So, I’ll confess that...

TRUMP BOOM: Asian buyers are abandoning Middle Eastern oil & lining up 28 supertankers to carry US crude in May alone. Normal bookings at this point: 5. US Gulf Coast exports hit a record 4.90 million barrels a day in April. Trump's energy dominance is not a talking point. It is a shipping manifest. h/t @KobeissiLetter

Very cool seeing the wave of empty tankers heading to the US to pick up some desperately needed crude for Hormuz-starved markets. All the tankers on the map below are empty VLCCs (~2 million barrel capacity each) currently heading for the US Gulf Coast.

American multinational energy corporation Chevron is now importing an average of 250,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil per day into the United States, the BBC reported Tuesday.According to recent reports, Venezuela’s monthly crude oil exports have once again surpassed one million barrels per day. Andy Walz – president of downstream, midstream, and chemicals at Chevron – confirmed to the BBC that the company is importing the equivalent a quarter of a million barrels of Venezuelan oil per day. The BBC detailed that the crude oil tanker Minerva Gloria recently docked at a wharf in the Mississippi sound, carrying 400,000 barrels...

News of the temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran immediately sent oil prices tumbling. Within minutes of President Donald Trump announcing an agreement had been reached, crude oil prices had fallen below the $100 mark. About an hour after the announcement, the price of oil had dipped all the way into the $91/barrel range before working its way back up. As of 9 p.m., crude oil was trading around $97/barrel, which was still a $20 drop from its intraday-high. The big question that will be on the minds of drivers will be whether this decline, if it holds...

While Washington has been trying to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero with heavy sanctions for years, these sanctions have been thwarted by a key factor: China. A country that has injected billions of dollars into Tehran's economy with the massive purchase of Iranian oil and has become the main pillar of the Islamic Republic's financial sustainability. At the same time, ideas such as acquisition of Iranian oil by Donald Trump have been proposed, which is more than practical, it is a reflection of geopolitical competition with Beijing. «maximum pressure policy » America is designed with the aim of completely...

Asian nations - most recently the Philippines - have been particularly keen to reach agreements as their economies are heavily reliant on energy from the Gulf. In recent weeks - several Asian countries including Pakistan, India and the Philippines - have made agreements with Tehran to let some ships pass through the strait safely. China has also acknowledged that their vessels have also used the channel. Questions remain over the scope of these assurances and just how lasting these agreements with Iran will be. The Philippines imports 98% of its oil from the Middle East and was the first country...

Numerous news sites (see them at the twitter/X link) are reporting strikes on military sites on Iran's Kharg Island, with some postulating the whole power plants and bridges threat was a head-fake for an operation to take Kharg Island. Get your popcorn out. Could be fun.

Crude-oil futures rose on Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s self-imposed deadline to unleash attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure. The front-month West Texas Intermediate contract jumped 2% to $115.04.

I just saw a list of the commodities that are undergoing restriction of distribution in the Strait of Hormuz. When seeing a stark view of them, together as a group, I hadn't realized how extensive it is: 1) oil (gasoline and deisel), 2) liquid natural gas (LNG), 3) urea (fertilizer for food), 4) sulfuric acid (phosphate fertilizers for farming), 5) helium (microchips). (Source: Larry Johnson, today 04/06/2026 at 9 AM E.S.T.). I would like to hear from someone who has a good, fundamental understanding of economics, about the following question, (not someone who is an academic egghead, not anyone who...

Five weeks into a war that has sent oil prices soaring and left global shipping in disarray, Tehran just blinked. At least for one country. Iran announced on April 5 that it is exempting one of its closest neighbors from the Strait of Hormuz restrictions that have strangled global energy supplies since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28, according to Al Jazeera. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said restrictions would only apply to “enemy countries.” “Brotherly Iraq is exempt from any restrictions we have imposed on the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran’s military spokesman said...

The seizure of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by the Imperial Iranian Navy took place on 30 November 1971, shortly after the withdrawal of British forces from the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, all located in the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.[1] The Imperial State of Iran had claimed sovereignty over both sets of islands, while the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah claimed the Greater and Lesser Tunbs and the Emirate of Sharjah claimed Abu Musa. File:Strait_of_Hormuz.jpg" class="infobox-cover top-cover-mobile">Date30 November 1971LocationPersian GulfResult Iranian victoryTerritorialchanges Iran captures...

Gold prices dropped sharply following comments from Donald Trump late Wednesday evening, after he addressed the nation on the ongoing Iran conflict but failed to provide clarity on how or when it might end. At a time when geopolitical tensions are escalating and uncertainty remains high, gold would typically surge as a safe-haven asset. After Trump’s latest speech failed to provide clarity on how or when the conflict with Iran might end, gold fell more than 2–3% in early trading, while oil prices surged and markets began pricing in a very different economic outcome.For investors, this shift is critical. It...

The spot price for current physical cargoes of Brent crude oil soared Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, according to S&P Global, which tracks the data.

Russia plans to send a second oil tanker to Cuba. The announcement comes just two days after sanctioned Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin docked at the Cuban port of Matanzas laden with 730,000 barrels of oil, marking the first time in three months that an oil tanker reached the island.

Oil surged 10% Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump warned of further military aggression against Iran in the next two to three weeks, dampening hopes for an imminent de-escalation in the conflict. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for May were up 10% at $110.21 a barrel as of 8:13 a.m. ET. June futures for international benchmark Brent crude rose 8% to $109.25 per barrel. Trump in his speech attributed the increase in oil prices to the “Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.” He said...