All eyes are on Pakistan's capital Islamabad as it hosts what are being described as “make-or-break” talks between the United States and Iran on Saturday, even as doubts persist over their prospects amid sharply divergent positions, ongoing violence in Lebanon, and renewed warnings from Donald Trump of intensified military action if diplomacy fails.
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at allies for not getting further involved in the Iran war, telling them to go to the Strait of Hormuz to take their own fuel and securing the strait is "not for us."
Opec oil output plunged in March to its lowest level since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020, a Reuters survey found, as the US-Israeli war against Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz and forced export cuts.
Oil prices surged nearly 30% to more than $119 a barrel on Monday, hitting levels not seen since mid-2022, as some major producers cut supplies and fears of prolonged shipping disruptions gripped the market due to the expanding US-Israeli war with Iran.
Recent geopolitical developments involving Iran have heightened market sensitivity to oil prices, inflation, and interest rate expectations, according to Lale Akoner, Global Market Analyst.
The finance and energy ministers of the G7 group affirmed their readiness to take "all necessary measures" to ensure the stability of the energy market, as part of their efforts to address the economic repercussions of the war in the Middle East.
Japan's industry ministry has asked domestic wholesalers to switch to Brent crude oil pricing from the Dubai benchmark when setting gasoline prices, in an attempt to contain price increases, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Oil prices extended gains on March 30, with Brent headed for a record monthly rise, after Yemeni Houthis launched their first attacks on Israel over the weekend, widening the US-Israel war with Iran in the Middle East.
The war in the Middle East is upending lives and livelihoods in the region and beyond. It is also dimming the outlook for many economies that had only just shown signs of a sustained recovery from previous crises, says key IMF directors in a blogpost.
The ongoing conflict in the Gulf and severe disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are beginning to weigh heavily on the region’s construction sector, with contractors facing mounting cost pressures, delivery delays and heightened financial risk.
