The Arab states of the Persian Gulf have suffered major economic and security costs in the wake of the U.S./Israeli attack on Iran. Iranian missile and drone retaliation hit airports, ports, and energy infrastructure, disrupting aviation, trade, tourism, and hydrocarbon exports, and damaging the Gulf’s reputation as a stable business hub. Attacks on shipping and energy facilities, such as the disruption at Fujairah port and the Shah gas field in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), show how quickly a U.S./Israel war on Iran can spill over onto…

The oil shock will soon show up where it usually does—jobs. Goldman Sachs warned that higher crude prices could cost the U.S. labor market around 10,000 jobs per month through the rest of the year, as elevated energy costs ripple through the broader economy. The hit comes even after accounting for gains in the oil patch. Higher prices used to mean that a hiring boom in shale was soon to follow. Not this time, according to a Thursday note to Goldman clients. Today’s U.S. oil producers are leaner, more automated, and far less willing…

Iran has recently bolstered its defenses around Kharg Island, anticipating a possible US move to seize the key oil export hub, CNN reported this week. The island is vital to Iran’s economy, handling roughly 90% of its crude shipments, and has become a focal point in escalating tensions. The Trump administration has explored the option of sending US forces to take control of the island as leverage to pressure Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz. But military officials caution that such an operation would carry serious risks. Iran…

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, describing the move as a “present” and a sign of progress in ongoing negotiations. The comment, made during a Cabinet meeting, offers the clearest indication yet of what the administration had been hinting at earlier this week—some limited easing at the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. The details are scant. The White House has not confirmed specifics on the vessels, their cargo, or whether additional transits are…

War in the Middle East has triggered severe global supply disruptions in oil and gas, with reported damage and shutdowns affecting liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains, refineries, fuel terminals and critical gas-to-liquids facilities across the region. According to Rystad Energy’s estimates, energy infrastructure repair and restoration costs to date could reach at least $25 billion, based on an initial assessment of impacted facilities, and are expected to rise further. Spending is likely to be driven primarily by engineering and construction,…

As the uncertainty surrounding indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran intensifies, air strikes on Iran, Israel, and surrounding states also continued -- “business as usual,” as one Israeli military official called it on March 25. Meanwhile, the Pentagon, while not acknowledging media reports of shortages, said it had struck deals with several US defense contractors to bolster stocks of munitions, including parts for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors being widely used in the Middle East war. It…

Russia is scrambling to reroute oil flows after a fresh wave of attacks knocked out key Baltic export infrastructure—just as maritime risks are already piling up elsewhere. According to Reuters, citing Interfax, pipeline operator Transneft is attempting to redirect crude volumes away from ports hit by Ukrainian drone strikes, including Primorsk and Ust-Luga—two of Russia’s most critical export hubs. Reuters calculations suggest as much as 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity is currently offline, factoring in port outages,…

Russia is scrambling to reroute oil flows after a fresh wave of attacks knocked out key Baltic export infrastructure—just as maritime risks are already piling up elsewhere. According to Reuters, citing Interfax, pipeline operator Transneft is attempting to redirect crude volumes away from ports hit by Ukrainian drone strikes, including Primorsk and Ust-Luga—two of Russia’s most critical export hubs. Reuters calculations suggest as much as 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity is currently offline, factoring in port outages,…

Despite headlines saying that energy shortages could hit Europe by April, in reality, the continent has enough natural gas, renewables and coal to last it until summer, when energy demand picks up after a home heating reduction in spring due to warmer temperatures.The spring also coincides with an increase in daylight hours, meaning more solar power generation. The combination typically loosens the European power market, which is good news for Europe, as the war with Iran has significantly bumped up crude oil and natural gas prices.  The findings…

Iran’s oil exports have not collapsed and are fetching much higher prices than before the war, handing Tehran handsome extra revenues from its crude, which is the only one unimpeded from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Unlike all other Gulf producers, Iran is passing its oil through the Strait of Hormuz and its export volumes remain resilient. Steady volumes and higher prices have been bringing millions of dollars of additional oil revenues for the Islamic Republic since the war began, as oil prices jumped and discounts for Iranian barrels…

Gasoline prices continue to surge. Drivers saw increases of roughly 50 cents per gallon almost overnight following the outbreak of hostilities with Iran. According to AAA, the national average price of gasoline has climbed by nearly $1.00 per gallon over the past month—one of the fastest increases in decades. It feels like a ripoff, and for many Americans, the same questions come up every time. If the United States is the world’s largest oil producer—in fact, if we are energy independent—then why are we still at the mercy…

A tanker carrying Russian oil was hit on Thursday by an unmanned marine vehicle in the Black Sea near Istanbul, Turkish authorities said. The Altura crude oil tanker, which is sanctioned by the EU and the UK, was hit by what Turkey believes is an unmanned vehicle, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said. The tanker, flying the flag of Sierra Leone and operated by a Turkish firm, had loaded crude oil from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, tanker-tracking data on MarineTraffic shows. The Altura was fully laden…

In Euclid, Ohio, just outside Cleveland, sits a facility that most people would drive right past without a second look. But inside that facility, work is being done that could reshape America’s position in one of the most critical supply chain battles of our time. The company behind this work is REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY), and they’re turning rare earth oxides into the defense-grade metals and alloys that go into the permanent magnets found in everything from fighter jets to missile guidance systems. REalloys doesn't have the name recognition…

Asian and Middle Eastern capital is lining up behind Alberta’s latest export push. Premier Danielle Smith says investors, including sovereign wealth funds, are prepared to take 15% to 30% minority stakes in a proposed 1-million-barrel-per-day pipeline aimed at Asian markets. The plan centers on moving oil sands crude to the northwest coast of British Columbia, with Prince Rupert now favored over Kitimat as the terminal site. The objective is straightforward: break Canada’s near-total dependence on the U.S., which still absorbs roughly…

Australia has long been synonymous with resource abundance — a country rich in minerals, energy, and hydrocarbons, including its own crude oil production. Yet today, it finds itself in the paradoxical position of scrambling for fuel, as disruptions to imports expose just how dependent the nation has become on refined products from abroad. Australia continues to produce oil domestically, with crude output around 320,000 b/d, yet its downstream dependency is overwhelming. In 2025, the country imported roughly 850,000 b/d of refined products…

The war in the Middle East and the halt of about 20% of global LNG trade flows are strengthening the case for increased LNG exports out of Western Canada. The political stability and the proximity to Asian markets make Canada’s Pacific Coast the perfect source of additional LNG supply to ease the strain on gas markets, which suddenly flipped from an expected glut for the rest of the decade to a major supply shortage that would take years to overcome. Canada would have been ideally positioned to fill in the gap. If only it had more than one…

Until less than a month ago, most energy analysts were warning about a glut in oil and a likely glut in LNG as new capacity came online in the United States. Glut was the word that described global energy market fundamentals. Then the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 changed everything, and now everyone is warning of shortages. Oil shortages are already emerging in some parts of the world, but the bigger and worse shortage is in natural gas. QatarEnergy yesterday declared force majeure on LNG contracts with buyers in Italy, China,…

The New York Times story headlined, “Why Tech Giants are Ditching the Grid.” Perhaps it should have had a subtitle, “ Why that is so important to everyone else who takes electricity.”  We have argued that AI centers should be kept off the grid because they will put burdens on all other grid customers, thereby socializing the costs to the benefit of organizations that do not need a subsidy from everybody else. Some might object, pointing out that AI centers often will locate their own power plants next to the AI center,…

In the wake of recent efforts by Central Asian leaders to open new trade routes to Pakistan, India is stepping up its diplomatic engagement with regional governments. Trade volume between India and the five Central Asian states totaled close to $2.5 billion in 2025, roughly triple that of Pakistan. But regional leaders have articulated plans in recent months to rapidly increase trade with Islamabad. That seems to have provided impetus for a flurry of Indian diplomatic activity. Over the past 10 days, Indian officials have held talks with officials…

COSCO Shipping Lines, China's largest shipping company, has officially resumed new booking services for container shipments from the Far East to several key Middle Eastern destinations, with the United States and Iran currently engaged in ceasefire talks, despite statements by Tehran that the U.S. military is "negotiating with itself”.  COSCO has reinstated bookings for standard general cargo containers to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq after declaring to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)…