The United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes across Iran overnight, targeting more than 80 sites after Tehran resumed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, further destabilising a fragile ceasefire agreed less than three weeks ago.
Attacks on commercial shipping resumed in the Strait of Hormuz, with two vessels struck in separate incidents that have heightened fears over the security of the shipping lane and threatened to derail recent diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.
Global oil markets are sending the wrong signal by treating the latest attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as a contained geopolitical incident rather than a potentially significant threat to energy supplies, warns the CEO of financial advisory giant deVere Group.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) vehicle sales is expected to decline by 3.9% y-o-y in 2026, to 3.90 million units, says a new report.
The United States launched a heavy wave of airstrikes against Iran late on Wednesday, marking the most significant direct attack on Iranian territory in days and sharply escalating a conflict that is increasingly threatening regional security, global energy supplies and international shipping.
US-Saudi consortium Mera Oil has entered the final stage of selecting a host location for its planned $5 billion integrated refinery and energy export corridor. Following three years of evaluation, three GCC sites outside the Strait of Hormuz have been shortlisted.
Oil prices climbed sharply on Wednesday as renewed military clashes between the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran kept traders on edge about supply disruptions, even as Oman unveiled a Gulf-backed proposal aimed at safeguarding shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices extended their sharp decline in early Asian trading on Tuesday as markets welcomed a fourth consecutive night without military strikes between the United States and Iran, easing immediate fears of a wider disruption to Middle East energy supplies.
Oil prices remained under pressure as the pause in military operations in the Middle East reduced the risk of immediate geopolitical escalation. Also hopes surrounding talks between Iran and Oman over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz improved market sentiment, said an industry expert.
Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after the United States and Iran halted hostilities over the weekend, raising hopes that a diplomatic breakthrough could ease tensions in the Middle East. However, shipping through the region's two critical maritime chokepoints – the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait – remains severely disrupted, keeping concerns over global energy supplies alive.
