On Wednesday, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, pausing the 42-day military campaign by the U.S. and Israel against multiple Iranian military and civilian targets. The Pakistan-brokered deal is, however, already being severely tested: whereas direct U.S. strikes on Iran have stopped, Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have continued fighting, with Israel maintaining that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire, while Iran insists that continued Israeli strikes violate the agreement. Meanwhile, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz…

Many countries worldwide have been hit hard by the energy crisis that has emerged following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and ensuing conflict, with severe oil and gas shortages driving energy prices sky high. But while some countries are suffering badly, China so far appears relatively untarnished, following several years of preparation aimed at boosting the Asian giant’s energy and national security and reducing reliance on foreign powers.  China has been stockpiling vast quantities of oil in recent years, with a 1.3-billion-barrel…

Fiscally stressed Colombia is facing multiple crises that possess the potential to derail a vulnerable economy. Oil and natural gas production is in freefall because of adverse regulatory reforms and frequent tax hikes. Declining revenue from Colombia’s oil patch is impacting a fragile economy and weak government finances. There are fears that recent oil shocks caused by Tehran's closing of the Strait of Hormuz will sharply impact Colombia’s hydrocarbon-dependent economy, potentially triggering energy and fiscal crises due to a growing…

There is great uncertainty as to whether and to what extent the Strait of Hormuz is reopening the flow of global oil and gas trade against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire. What is certain, however, is that the global energy sector will see far-reaching consequences of the historic disruption for a long time to come. In fact, the global energy landscape may never be the same again. On an average day, approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas trade crosses through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the…

It almost looks like an eternal story or an Australian boomerang approach, but the global oil market is once again being misread, very badly. Headlines speak of disruption, paralysis, and the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz. International tanker trackers all report traffic collapsing, while Gulf exporters are shutting in production. Every single visible metric indicates that the system is under extreme stress. And yet, there is still oil flowing. This time it is not open, not as usual able to be measured by markets, or in volumes that are…

If you are looking for respite from news of bombings, threats to ancient civilizations, becalmed oil tankers, rising prices, disputes about who can go to which toilets, and sex scandals among the rich and famous, consider these stories that matter for energy folk who would have otherwise noticed but might have been distracted by all the other stuff. Nuclear reactor price—As part of the tariff dispute last year, Japan was strong-armed into announcing billions of dollars of new investments in the USA. As part of the deal, GE Hitachi will partner…

The war in Iran and broader Middle East conflict are making consumers and policymakers more aware of the vulnerabilities that face the global energy market. The price of fossil fuels is rising higher and higher, as supply chain disruptions are spurring oil shortages around the world. As governments worldwide evaluate their next moves, consumers appear to be increasingly turning to electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce their reliance on petrol. Many governments have introduced policies that aim to encourage the purchase of EVs and dissuade consumers…

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are among the top 10 countries in the world with the poorest air quality, according to the findings published by a Swiss research firm. More broadly, Central Asia experienced a sharp increase in pollution in 2025. According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report for 2025, the air in Tajikistan contained an average of 57.3 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter (µg/m³), an amount 11.5 times higher than the World Health Organization’s guidelines for acceptable air quality. Tajikistan’s general…

Governments worldwide are racing to find a solution to contend with the severe energy shortages brought about by the war in Iran and the ongoing Middle East conflict. For some, this means accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, which is likely to be a longer-term solution. For others, it means relying on stockpiles of crude, while the oil trade remains limited. And, for many, it means using any type of energy available, including coal. Several countries have reduced their reliance on coal in recent years in favour of oil, gas, and renewable…

Oil prices remain close to $100 per barrel despite the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which revived hopes that the worst oil and gas supply shock ever could begin to ease soon and bring energy prices down. While immediate escalation has been taken out of the war premium, at least as of Friday morning, the reality on the ground – and in the Strait of Hormuz – is that the vital oil and LNG chokepoint remains largely closed and traffic controlled at Iran’s discretion.    The shocking and very steep rise in oil and gas prices due…

India has reached a milestone in its nuclear energy program through its state-of-the-art fast breeder reactor, signalling a major step forward for the clean energy transition in the world’s most populous country. The country’s most advanced nuclear reactor reached criticality earlier this month, meaning that the nuclear chain reaction powering the plant is self-sustaining. This breakthrough will ultimately allow India to import far less uranium to power its nuclear program, and can be adapted to use domestic thorium reserves for fuel…

OpenAI's broader Stargate push to build next-generation AI infrastructure in the UK has been put on hold, with the company citing regulatory conditions and high energy costs as major obstacles to long-term investment. That outcome is hardly surprising: Britain, like much of dying Europe, has layered on regulatory burdens, while years of backfiring ‘green’ energy policies have left power costs structurally elevated. It’s a toxic mix for power-hungry AI data center buildouts. “We see huge potential for the UK’s AI future,”…

Europe could face a jet fuel shortage within three weeks if flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain restricted, according to the region’s airport industry group. ACI Europe warned that a continued disruption would leave airports and airlines short on supply during the start of the peak summer travel season. In a letter to EU officials, the group said a shortage would quickly ripple through the aviation system and hit economic activity across the bloc. “If the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant…

Europe could face a jet fuel shortage within three weeks if flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain restricted, according to the region’s airport industry group. ACI Europe warned that a continued disruption would leave airports and airlines short on supply during the start of the peak summer travel season. In a letter to EU officials, the group said a shortage would quickly ripple through the aviation system and hit economic activity across the bloc. “If the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Thursday, bringing the total rig count in the US to 545, down 38 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs stayed at 411 during the latest reporting period, according to the data. This is 61 below this same time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by 3 after gaining 3 in the week prior. Gas rigs now sit at 127, which is 22 more than this time last year. The miscellaneous rig count…

Russia has restarted limited oil loadings at its Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after a drone attack earlier this week forced a full suspension. Operations at the Sheskharis terminal resumed late Thursday, but only one berth is currently active. A single cargo of roughly 80,000 tons is expected to depart, well below the terminal's normal capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day. The restart comes after the Monday strike that caused fires at a fuel terminal and damaged loading infrastructure. Shipments were halted entirely. The loading schedule…

Russia has restarted limited oil loadings at its Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after a drone attack earlier this week forced a full suspension. Operations at the Sheskharis terminal resumed late Thursday, but only one berth is currently active. A single cargo of roughly 80,000 tons is expected to depart, well below the terminal's normal capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day. The restart comes after the Monday strike that caused fires at a fuel terminal and damaged loading infrastructure. Shipments were halted entirely. The loading schedule…

Russia has restarted limited oil loadings at its Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after a drone attack earlier this week forced a full suspension. Operations at the Sheskharis terminal resumed late Thursday, but only one berth is currently active. A single cargo of roughly 80,000 tons is expected to depart, well below the terminal's normal capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day. The restart comes after the Monday strike that caused fires at a fuel terminal and damaged loading infrastructure. Shipments were halted entirely. The loading schedule…

Several fuel shortages, hunger, and spiralling inflation will be some of the consequences of the Iran war as the head of the International Monetary Fund said that it would leave “scarring effects” on the global economy.  In a speech by Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, global policymakers were warned that trade disruption across the Middle East over the last month would lead to lower growth and higher inflation. The impact of the war was also predicted to be uneven between different countries depending on…

Chinese electric vehicle exports soared by 140% to a record high in March as the fuel price shock drove consumers back to EVs. China exported as many as 349,000 electric vehicles last month, a record high number of any month ever, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association cited by Bloomberg. Drivers in Asia Pacific, Europe, and the United States started searching for EVs and hybrid options amid soaring fuel prices, following the war in the Middle East. The conflict has trapped more than 10 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude…