Geopolitics And Regional Stability News

Oil prices steadied on Wednesday after rising earlier in the session after the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone and armed Iranian boats approached a U.S.-flagged vessel, rekindling fears of an escalation in tensions ahead of planned talks.But a broader selloff of software equities, which often move in tandem with oil prices, capped gains.Brent crude oil futures were up around 0.1% at $67.38 a barrel by 1423 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 2 cents at $63.19.Both…

Oil prices climbed about 3% to a five-month high on Thursday on rising concerns that global supplies could be disrupted if the U.S. decides to attack Iran, one of the biggest crude producers in OPEC.Brent futures rose $2.10, or 3.1%, to $70.50 a barrel by 11:07 a.m. EST (1607 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained $2.09, or 3.3%, to $65.30.That pushed both crude benchmarks into technically overbought territory and put Brent on track for its highest close since July 31 and WTI on track for its highest close since September 26.U.S.

The U.S. Navy has sent an additional warship to the Middle East, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday, amid a large military buildup in the region and soaring tensions.The official, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USS Delbert D. Black had entered the region in the past 48 hours. This brings the number of destroyers in the Middle East to six, along with an aircraft carrier and three other littoral combat ships. The additional warship in the region was first reported by CBS News.(Reuters)

Oil prices slid about 2% on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump softened threats against Greenland and Iran, and as investors assessed the supply-demand outlook.Brent futures fell $1.01, or 1.6%, to $64.23 a barrel at 11:26 a.m. EDT (1626 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 96 cents, or 1.6%, to $59.66 a barrel, headed for its lowest close since January 15.Trump said he had secured total and permanent U.S. access to Greenland in a deal with NATO, whose head…

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged NATO on Friday to develop "a coordinated presence" in the Arctic region to prevent tensions and respond to "interference by other actors", amid escalating tensions among Western allies over Greenland.In a letter read during the presentation of an Italian government paper on the Arctic, Meloni said the region was becoming increasingly important due to the development of new sea routes and its huge "energy and mineral resources".Italy…

Greece plans to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean Sea, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Friday, despite Turkey's long-standing threat of war should Athens take such a step.The NATO allies, but historic rivals, have eased tensions in recent years but remain at odds over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean - an area believed to hold significant energy potential and with implications for overflights and airspace.Greece has already extended its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from six…

The United States has seized another Venezuela-linked tanker, U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.The seizure marks the sixth vessel targeted since mid-December that was either carrying Venezuelan oil or had done so in the past. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the seizure took place in the Caribbean.The U.S. military's Southern Command confirmed the pre-dawn operation, saying U.S.

The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday asked U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to continue providing monthly reports on any further attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis, spurring Russia to taunt the United States."We believe that amid present-day realities, the Security Council would be well advised to monitor attacks on commercial transport in the Caribbean, not the Red Sea," Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva told the 15-member body.Since September…

Dozens of commercial ships have dropped anchor at a distance outside Iran's port limits in recent days, according to data and shipping sources, as tensions with the United States grow.Such movements were precautionary given the tensions amid ongoing protests in Iran, the shipping sources said. Port limits are significant because they run a higher risk of collateral damage in the event of air strikes on nearby infrastructure.The U.S. is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a U.S.

Oil prices fell slightly on Monday after Iran said it had total control following the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, easing some concerns over supply, while investors also weighed efforts to resume oil exports from Venezuela.Brent crude futures lost 28 cents, or 0.44%, to $63.06 a barrel by 1402 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $58.78 a barrel, down 34 cents, or 0.58%."Lower European equity markets and lack of additional supply disruptions is moderately weighing on oil prices…

The U.S. has seized the Olina tanker in the Caribbean, the fifth vessel targeted in recent weeks as Washington steps up efforts to curb Venezuelan oil exports, U.S. officials said on Friday.The Olina, which according to public shipping database Equasis was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, previously sailed from Venezuela and had returned to the region, said an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter.In a pre-dawn move, marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, launched from the carrier USS Gerald R.

Oil prices rose about 2% on Thursday after two days of declines as investors assessed developments in Venezuela and on worries about supplies from Russia, Iraq and Iran.Brent futures rose $1.21, or 2%, to $61.17 per barrel at 11:17 a.m. EST (1617 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.02, or 1.8%, to $57.01.The U.S. seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, one sailing under Russia's flag, as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's…

The U.S. seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that was being shadowed by a Russian submarine on Wednesday, after pursuing it for more than two weeks across the Atlantic as part of Washington's efforts to block Venezuelan oil exports, U.S. officials said.It appeared to be the first time in recent memory that the U.S. military has seized a Russian-flagged vessel.The Marinera, originally known as the Bella-1, had previously slipped through a U.S. maritime blockade of sanctioned tankers in the Caribbean and rebuffed U.S. Coast Guard efforts to board it.

Russia said on Wednesday that the U.S. seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic was a violation of maritime law, and a senior lawmaker described it as "outright piracy".Russia's Transport Ministry said contact with the vessel, the Marinera, had been lost after U.S. naval forces boarded it near Iceland as part of efforts to block oil exports from Venezuela."In accordance with the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the high seas…

Oil extended declines on Wednesday as investors digested statements from President Donald Trump that the U.S. had reached a deal to import up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude, a move that would lift supplies to the world's largest oil consumer.Brent crude futures were down 40 cents, or 0.7%, to trade at $60.31 a barrel by 11:05 a.m. ET (1605 GMT) after falling to $59.88 a barrel earlier in the session.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 74 cents, or 1.3%, to $56.39 a barrel…

The U.S. seized an empty Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday as part of President Donald Trump's aggressive push to dictate oil flows in the Americas and force Venezuela's socialist government to become an ally.After capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an attack on Caracas on Saturday, the U.S. is continuing to blockade vessels under sanctions off the South American country, a member of the OPEC oil group. The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S.

An oil tanker chartered by U.S. Chevron carrying some 300,000 barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude bound for the U.S. Gulf Coast departed on Monday from the OPEC country's waters, shipping data showed, after a four-day pause in the company's exports of Venezuelan oil.Chevron is the only company currently authorized by Washington to export Venezuelan crude amid an oil embargo that U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday remained in full force after the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.But amid U.S.

About a dozen tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude oil and fuel have left the country's waters in dark mode since the start of the year, according to documents seen by Reuters and industry sources including monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.The movements suggest a potential breaking of a strict blockade imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump before the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. troops in the early hours of Saturday morning. Trump said…

Oil prices dipped on their first trading day of 2026 after registering their biggest annual loss since 2020 as investors weighed oversupply concerns against geopolitical risks, including the war in Ukraine and Venezuela exports.Brent crude futures lost 55 cents to $60.29 a barrel by 11:16 a.m. ET (1616 GMT) on Friday while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 53 cents at $56.89.Russia and Ukraine traded allegations of attacks on civilians on New Year's Day despite talks overseen by U.S.

Oil prices were steady in choppy trade on Tuesday as investors weighed dented hopes of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East around Yemen.Brent crude futures for February delivery, which expire on Tuesday, were up 3 cents, or 0.05%, at $61.97 a barrel at 1:18 p.m. EDT. The more active March contract was down 12 cents or 0.2% at $61.37.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 6 cents, or 0.1%, to $58.02.The Brent and WTI benchmarks settled…

Oil prices fell by more than $1 a barrel on Friday as investors weighed a looming global supply glut, while also keeping an eye on a potential Ukraine peace deal ahead of talks this weekend between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump.Brent crude futures fell $1.13 or 1.82% to $61.11 per barrel by 1:14 p.m. EDT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.13 or 1.94% to $57.22.While supply disruptions have helped oil prices rebound in recent sessions from their near five-year low on December 16…

Venezuela's ruling-party controlled National Assembly unanimously approved a law on Tuesday that allows prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who promotes or finances what it describes as piracy or blockades.The law, which includes "other international crimes", comes after recent U.S. actions against Venezuelan oil shipments.The U.S. Coast Guard seized a sanctioned supertanker carrying Venezuelan crude earlier this month and attempted to intercept two other vessels linked to Venezuela over the weekend, U.S.

Two vessels from CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping line, have travelled through the Suez Canal, the authority that runs the waterway said on Tuesday, in a sign the disruptions linked to the Gaza war could be easing.While the Suez Canal provides the fastest link between Asia and Europe, since November 2023, shipping companies have had to take much longer routes because Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants attacked commercial vessels, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians during warfare in Gaza.CMA CGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.