Oil and gas

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

Brent crude prices briefly jumped back above $80 per barrel on Wednesday as traders digested conflicting signals about efforts to end the war and reopen Hormuz.

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

3 Iranian tankers with 4.8M barrels of oil pass US blockade: What to know

At least three US-sanctioned Iranian-flagged tankers have exited the Gulf of Oman as the Trump administration eyes Tehran's moves ahead of sanctions waivers expected to begin Friday.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on February 9, 2026. (Photo by Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

US firm HKN Energy takes over 7 oil fields from Syria's Kurds

HKN Energy has begun operating seven oil fields under a 25-year agreement with Damascus, marking the first major production-sharing deal between Syria's new government and an international oil company.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Explainer

US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 349.2 million barrels amid the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran.

Latest News

Syria says Iraqi oil shipments surge as Damascus courts foreign energy investment

A long convoys of Iraqi diesel-laden tanker trucks line up along the highway Tartus-Baniyas highway as they wait to unload their cargo at the Baniyas port refinery on the Mediterranean Sea, on April 15, 2026.

Explainer

Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez meets Erdogan in surprise Turkey visit: What to know

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/06/will-pashinyans-victory-armenia-be-enough-unlock-peace-turkey-azerbaijan

Algeria begins work on Trans-Saharan gas pipeline to Europe

BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP via Getty Images

Oman denies disruption at key oil hub after reported drone attack

AFP via Getty Images

A picture taken on November 23, 2016 shows smoke plumes rising behind a billboard at the Maaden Aluminium Factory in Ras Al-Khair Industrial area near Jubail City, 570 kms east of the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Middle East transparency on carbon emissions lags behind rest of world

Turkey and the UAE led the pack for most transparent countries in the region regarding greenhouse gas emissions.

United Arab Emirates

COP28 conclusion

COP28: historic deal agreed for world to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels

The summit stretched into prolonged negotiations over the terminology of the final text, after the “phase out” of fossil fuels was omitted from the draft a day before the scheduled end of the event.

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih speaks on stage during the 2022 Concordia Annual Summit at the Sheraton Hotel, New York, Sept. 19, 2022.

China-Saudi Investment Conference begins in Beijing

China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and biggest customer of its primary commodity: crude oil.

In this handout image supplied by COP28, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (L3), President of the Federative Republic of Brazil and Marina Silva (L2), Minister of the Environment, Joko Widodo (R2), President of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E Razan Al Mubarak (R1), President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Climate Change of Brazil and His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber (R3), COP28 President during the Nature Season at Al Waha Theatre during day two of the high-level segment of the UNFCCC CO

After US, India, UAE, World Economic Forum expects Brazil to enter green coalition

India, the UAE and the United States are part of the First Movers Coalition, a green alliance that Rob van Riet, senior adviser at the WEF's Center for Nature and Climate, told Al-Monitor he hoped Brazil will be the next to join.

United Arab Emirates

Mourners carry the coffins of two Kurdish women killed a day earlier in a reported Turkish drone strike, during their funeral in Amuda, a town in the Hasakah governorate in northeastern Syria, on June 21, 2023.

With world's eyes on Gaza, Turkey attacks Syria's Kurds again

As of the beginning of 2023, at least 32 civilians have died in Turkish attacks in northeast Syria, including seven women and five children, according to local monitoring organizations.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboats cruise past an oil tanker off the port of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, on July 2, 2012.

Iran says it seized ships in Gulf for alleged fuel smuggling

The seizure and arrest of the foreign crew members occurred south of the disputed Abu Musa island, according to Iranian state media.

High-level segment of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference at Expo City Dubai on Dec. 2, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power to develop green hydrogen project in Indonesia

Green hydrogen has potential environmental benefits as well as drawbacks and is being pursued by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman al-Saud and Russian President Vladimir Putin look on during the opening day of Argentina G20 Leaders' Summit 2018 at Costa Salguero on November 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Amilcar Orfali/Getty Images)

What’s on Putin’s agenda on rare trip to Saudi Arabia, UAE?

The Russian president's trip comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where the Hamas-Israel war has threatened to spill into a wider regional conflict.

Kamala Harris

The COP28 scorecard: US leads methane charge, China to slash emissions

COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber also announced a deal to cut methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry, with ExxonMobil and Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil firm Aramco being among the 50 businesses that signed up.

United Arab Emirates

Police Officers stand in front of the Hofburg Palace, the venue of the 8th OPEC International Seminar, in Vienna, Austria, on July 5, 2023.

Breaking | Last Updated: November 30, 2023, 3:51 pm

Brazil to join OPEC+ as Saudi-led bloc agrees to oil cuts

Saudi Arabia, which leads the alliance of oil producers, has been instituting voluntary production cuts in an effort to keep prices up.

COP27 and COP28 presidents

COP28 opens in UAE amid intense scrutiny over fossil fuel links

A breakthrough was made on the first day of the UN climate summit as world leaders established a loss and damage fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change.

United Arab Emirates

COP28

Interview

IEA calls COP28 'big opportunity' to slash methane emissions

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the International Energy Agency's chief energy economist, Tim Gould, said the climate summit should focus on methane as well as climate finance for the developing world.

Tim Gould

Tim Gould

Chief Energy Economist of the International Energy Agency