Gulf oil exports surpass prewar levels despite escalating tanker attacks According to data from Kpler, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and alternative routes across the Middle East averaged more than 24 million barrels a day last week, surpassing prewar levels of 23.3 million. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Macron secures Gulf diesel supplies as France grapples with fuel costs, unrest France now has commitments for 295,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the Gulf, accounting for just over 10% of the European country’s consumption. Bahrain
Analysis As Iran’s oil lifeline runs dry, can it outlast Trump's economic siege? The country's last barrels of crude stockpiled beyond the reach of a US naval blockade fell to zero in October, raising the stakes for Tehran amid mounting economic distress. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis How much oil can cushion another Middle East supply shock? Global oil inventories stood at 3.35 billion barrels in October, the lowest level on record since January 2017, according to Kpler. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Hormuz attacks spike after US airstrike on Iran-linked tanker By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Shipping company in Greece fined $2.4B for breaching Iran sanctions In an agreement with the US, the illegal oil export was kept secret for almost five months amid fears of retaliation from Tehran. Iran
Oil prices surge as Saudi Arabia, Russia extend 1.3 million barrel cut through December The production cuts by Saudi Arabia, Russia and the OPEC+ alliance have succeeded in keeping oil prices up but have also had some negative effects on the Saudi economy. Legacy: Gulf
Israel, Cyprus, Greece leaders enhance cooperation on gas infrastructure The leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus met in Nicosia to discuss strengthening the trilateral strategic alliance between the countries and exploring options for exporting Israeli natural gas via Cyprus to Europe. Israel
Iran's oil production bounces back as exports to China rise despite sanctions Iran's oil industry was hurt by the reimposition of US sanctions in 2018, but has largely recovered since then, in part due to increased exports to China. Iran
Egypt to drill 35 gas wells by 2025 as BP invests The energy giant pledged $3.5 billion in investment into gas exploration in Egypt over the next three years. Egypt
Saudi Arabia’s foreign reserves shrink by $16B in July amid oil cuts The kingdom’s net foreign assets declined to 1.53 trillion riyals ($407 billion), according to the central bank’s monthly report published on Monday. Saudi Arabia
Turkey, Saudi Arabia ink critical mineral cooperation deal Green energy investments will have an important share in cooperation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, said the Turkish energy minister. Turkey
Fossil fuel subsidies in Middle East nearly doubled since 2020, says IMF The fund said that fossil fuel companies globally benefited from $13 million in subsidies per minute last year. Legacy: Gulf
Israel to export more gas to Egypt as cooperation grows Israeli-Egyptian cooperation on gas matters has increased significantly in recent years, despite Egyptian criticism of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians. Egypt
Turkey’s FM tackles long-held disputes with Iraq in first official visit Hakan Fidan chose Iraq for his first official visit as Turkey's new foreign minister, but the visit appeared to yield little progress on long-standing disputes between Ankara and Baghdad. Turkey
US shale giant to invest $1.4B in Egyptian fossil fuel projects At the end of last year, Apache Corp's main interests in Egypt were in the Western Desert with 5.3 million gross acres in six separate concessions. Egypt
US finally unloads Iranian oil from seized tanker The Iranian oil aboard the Suez Rajan sat unloaded off the coast of the United States for months amid threats from Iran, causing concern in Congress. Iran