Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal? The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years. Saudi Arabia
Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption? European and Asian airlines have been most impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is throttling jet fuel supplies. Iran
How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade? At least 19 Iran-linked tankers have passed through the US blockade on the strait to exit the Gulf while at least 15 have entered, according to the cargo-tracking group Vortexa. Iran
Iran seizes two cargo ships in Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire The IRGC Navy’s seizure of two cargo vessels follows US Navy interdictions of two Iran-linked crude oil tankers in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean earlier this week. Iran
Analysis Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis How long can Iran's economy weather US naval blockade? By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Pentagon weighs options to deter Russians in Syria After Russian forces in Syria appeared to be heading toward oil fields, the Pentagon proposed deploying tanks as a measure to guard the installations, a US official told Al-Monitor. Iraq
Trump administration scrambles to salvage US troop presence in Syria President Trump says he would leave some US troops in Syria to keep the Assad regime and Iranian forces away from oil fields; the Syrian Democratic Forces commander speaks with both Trump and the Russian army chief of staff. Iraq
Pentagon guardianship of Syrian oil fields faces pushback For days now, despite Turkish forces jeopardizing a fragile US-brokered cease-fire in northern Syria, President Donald Trump has insisted that American forces have secured oil fields liberated from the Islamic State. Syria
Does Egypt really have gas self-sufficiency? Despite the frequent announcements by Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek el-Mulla of achieving self-sufficiency in natural gas and halting imports, in addition to the completion of the phases of operation of Zohr field, Cairo's continued import of Israeli gas stirred confusion. Egypt
Will re-pricing natural gas cast positive shadow over Egypt's industry? The Egyptian government recently decided to amend prices of natural gas used in industries, subject to changes depending on world market prices. Egypt
Going it alone: Saudi Arabia’s economic realities after oil attacks The energy sector is Saudi Arabia's lifeline, but it is more often a honey pot of domestic spending than a resource for future development. Saudi Arabia
Kurdish leaders support Iraq's embattled prime minister The Iraqi Kurdistan government is trying to calm protesters' demands for the central government's prime minister to be removed. Iraq
What did Lavrov discuss in Baghdad and Erbil? Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Iraq to discuss a broad range of issues, with economy and security dominating the agenda. Iraq
Chinese energy giant bids farewell to $5 billion Iran project In what could be seen as yet another blow to Iran's sanctions-hit economy, China's state oil company has withdrawn from a major multibillion-dollar deal in the country's south. United States
Iraq, China launch 'oil for reconstruction' agreement Baghdad has forged a 20-year deal to supply Beijing with oil in exchange for Chinese investments in projects to repair Iraq's war-damaged infrastructure. Iraq
Baghdad sends delegation to Erbil to resolve disputes Baghdad sent a delegation, headed by President Barham Salih, to the Iraqi Kurdistan region to discuss the budget, oil and other contentious issues. Iraq
Palestinians hope to import Iraqi oil, become more energy independent Palestinians are inching closer to the possibility of being able to import Iraqi oil to Jordan and have the Jordan refinery convert it to local products that can pass Israeli inspection. Palestine
