Geopolitics And Regional Stability News

Brent crude ticked slightly higher on Friday but was still on track for a more than 8% weekly decline after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased.Brent crude futures were up 20 cents, or 0.25%, at $80.05 a barrel by 10:55 a.m. ET, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 25 cents, or 0.33%, at $76.85 per barrel.Trading volumes were light due to a U.S. federal holiday.Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz picked up on Friday after the signing of the deal…

Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz picked up on Friday after the United States and Iran signed a ceasefire deal, with Gulf producers preparing to raise exports despite concerns over conditions set by Tehran for using the vital waterway.Washington and Tehran released the text of an interim agreement signed on Wednesday to end the conflict, although U.S. President Donald Trump warned he could resume attacks and target Iranian officials if commitments are not honoured.At least four tankers carrying crude…

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had held a "very good" conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G7 summit in France and that their two countries were working on trade deals.Trump called Modi a "tough negotiator," and told reporters that he would be going to India "sometime in the future".India has been pressing the United States for months for a Trump trip, potentially as part of a meeting including Japan and Australia.The two leaders' meeting is their first since February 2025…

Spot premiums for crude and some refined products in Asia, Europe and Africa have fallen back following a U.S.-Iran deal to end the Middle East conflict, though caution about how soon normal shipping can resume is providing a floor for oil markets.Prices tumbled across the board on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement had been signed. Details, however, have not been made public and both the U.S. and Iran said a permanent truce is yet to be negotiated.Middle East crude benchmark Dubai's premium to swaps returned to pre-war levels of $2.06 per barrel on Monday.

U.S. energy shares fell on Monday as crude prices dropped after Washington and Tehran agreed terms to end their months-long conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil transit chokepoint.The U.S. and Iran will sign a memorandum of understanding in Switzerland on Friday, said the prime minister of Pakistan, which helped mediate talks between the two sides.U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly a fifth of global oil consumption, would be open "toll free" and that a U.S.

The United States and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding to settle a near four-month war, senior U.S. officials said on Monday, adding that a signing ceremony would take place on Friday and shipping traffic in the strait of Hormuz would gradually ramp up.The memorandum of understanding has been signed by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, one U.S. official said.Speaking at a briefing with reporters, the U.S.

BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO unanimously condemns recent attacks on seafarers and commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the organization has verified 46 attacks on international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, 2026, with 14 confirmed seafarer fatalities.There is grave concern about the recent escalation of the conflict which puts the lives of our seafarers at risk…

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States will attack Iran if no peace deal is secured and that the U.S. military secretly escorted ships carrying more than 100 million barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz."We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard," Trump told reporters at the White House. He said the U.S. would strike Iran on Wednesday, in response to Iran's downing of an Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.Trump said later on Truth Social that he had directed last month the U.S.

The cost of shipping a container of goods from Asia to the United States has doubled since the start of the Iran war, driven by spiking fuel prices and an uptick in demand from importers who are worried costs will only rise further as the conflict wears on."If you want to know how seriously to take the threat of an energy crisis, look at container shipping rather than oil markets because the risk is priced into the spiraling freight rates far more clearly," said Peter Sand, chief…

Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday as Iranian attacks on Kuwait damaged its airport and injured dozens while the U.S. military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy to halt the war showing little sign of progress.The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire, sending oil prices up nearly 2%, as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended after an Iranian drone and missile attack damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions…

Shipping executives meeting in Athens on Monday said that any peace deal worked out between the United States and Iran would need to offer clear rules allowing vessels to resume normal business via the Strait of Hormuz.Shipowners and maritime industry officials met at a Capital Link conference and other events to begin Posidonia, a week-long biennial shipping exhibition.Below are selected quotes (in alphabetical order):ARSENIO DOMINGUEZ, SECRETARY GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION (IMO)"There have been ... recent announcements that there's a possibility of a 60-day ceasefire.

Oil futures fell more than 2% on Friday, closing out their steepest weekly decline since early April as traders awaited word that the U.S., Israel and Iran had reached agreement on a ceasefire.Brent crude futures for July, which expired on Friday, settled at $92.05 a barrel, down $1.66, or 1.8%. WTI U.S. oil futures Reutersfinished at $87.36 a barrel, down $1.54 or 1.7%."Obviously, the market thinks the ceasefire will be all easy-peasy and is done and dusted," said John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital.The three-month war between the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would soon decide on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran, though the two countries still appeared to differ on significant issues that have been central to the conflict.Trump said on Friday morning that he would meet in a secure White House room to make a "final determination" on the proposal, which would extend an early-April truce for another 60 days, giving negotiators time to forge a permanent end to the war.Several hours later…

"The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed for three months, trapping hundreds of ships and thousands of seafarers in the Persian Gulf while significantly reducing global seaborne tanker volumes,” says Niels Rasmusssen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.As it is unknown when ships can safely return to the strait, we present two outlook scenarios. One, “SoH open”, assumes that the strait is fully reopened before the end of the second quarter while the other, “SoH closed” assumes that the strait remains effectively closed throughout 2026 and 2027Since the beginning of the Iran war…

Tehran would restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month in a framework deal with the U.S. to also include withdrawing U.S. forces from Iran's vicinity, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday.The report said the U.S. would end a naval blockade of Iranian shipping, citing a memorandum of understanding being negotiated between the two sides to end the war which has choked global energy supplies through the strategic waterway.Iranian state TV said it had obtained an unofficial draft of the MOU though it was not final and may not be agreed.The U.S.

President Donald Trump’s waivers allowing foreign-flagged ships to move oil and fuel between U.S. ports have had little impact on high domestic gasoline prices due to elevated shipping rates and the relatively small fuel volumes transported so far, a Reuters analysis found.In March, Trump issued a waiver to the Jones Act, a century-old law that requires shippers to use vessels built, owned and crewed by Americans to transport commodities between U.S. ports.The policy, aimed at supporting the domestic maritime industry and national security…

The U.S. intends to significantly reduce military contributions available to assist European allies in a crisis, including fighter jets, warships and mid-air refuelling aircraft, German news outlet Spiegel reported on Tuesday.The NATO alliance is under unprecedented strain, with some European countries concerned that Washington may withdraw outright.U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed European allies for not spending enough on their militaries and pledged to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.

Oil prices were up 3% on Thursday after Reuters reported that Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, denting hopes for a swift resolution to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.The report, citing two senior Iranian sources, signaled that Tehran is hardening its stance on a key U.S. demand. The directive from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei could further complicate negotiations and frustrate U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker an end to the war.Brent crude futures gained $3.07…

Supertanker Agios Fanourios I is heading for Vietnam to discharge its Iraqi crude oil cargo after it was held by the U.S. Navy for five days in the Gulf of Oman, the vessel's manager said on Monday.The Maltese-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz on May 10 and was sailing in the Gulf of Oman before making a U-turn on May 11.It resumed its journey toward Vietnam on May 16 and is expected to arrive at the Nghi Son refinery on May 30, LSEG shipping…

Oil prices gained more than 3% on Friday, climbing more than $3 a barrel, after comments by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's foreign minister further dented hopes of a deal to end ship attacks and seizures around the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude futures gained $3.35, or 3.17%, to $109.07 a barrel by 12:34 p.m. CDT (1734 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up $3.85, or 3.81%, at $105.02.Over the week, Brent has climbed 7.72% and WTI 10.11% on uncertainty over the shaky ceasefire in the Iran war."The tone between the U.S.

Brent crude futures jumped as much as 3% on Friday, a day after the U.S. and Iran traded air strikes, with traders fretting over the future of the cease-fire and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude futures was at $101.47 a barrel, up $1.41 or 1.41% by 10:51 CDT (1551 GMT), after rising as much as 3% earlier in the session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures was at $95.71 a barrel, up 90 cents, or 0.95%.Both contracts were still set for weekly declines of more than 6%."We're still playing the headline-o-rama game," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group.

Hopes for a peace deal with Iran dwindled on Tuesday after Donald Trump said a ceasefire was "on life support" as Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal to end the conflict and stuck to a list of demands the U.S. president described as "garbage".Iran has called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran also emphasised its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, demanded compensation for war damage, and an end to the U.S.

U.S. import prices surged in April, with the cost of fuels posting the largest increase in four years, another indication that the U.S.-backed war with Iran was boosting inflation.Import prices increased 1.9% last month after an upwardly revised 0.9% rise in March, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast import prices, which exclude tariffs, would increase 1.0% after a previously reported 0.8% advance in March.In the 12 months through April, import prices vaulted 4.2%.