The Trump Administration has already used up most emergency options to rein in the soaring international crude oil prices, which have pushed up U.S. gasoline prices by $0.80 per gallon from a month ago. The U.S. last week tapped the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as part of a record-high reserves release announced by the International Energy Agency. The Trump Administration also issued a one-month waiver allowing buyers to purchase sanctioned Russian oil on tankers without repercussions. It also promised, two weeks ago, risk insurance and escort…

On Monday, European Union foreign ministers rejected demands by U.S. President Donald Trump to help secure the Strait of Hormuz through military means, with Europe only keen on further bolstering the security of its own military bases in the region. Previously, Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, proposed extending the mandate of Operation Aspides to boost security in the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions and energy disruptions. Aspides is an active EU military operation launched in 2024 to safeguard merchant shipping and…

Asian nations that are the most exposed to the fallout of the Hormuz crisis have sealed energy deals worth $56 billion with American companies, helping advance President Trump’s energy dominance agenda. Whether this is an actual pivot from the Middle East to the U.S. is yet to be seen. The news about the financial commitments was announced by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum following the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Forum that took place in Tokyo at the end of last week. The deals involve a 20-year supply contract between Venture Global and…

While energy prices stayed steady in February, the numbers show that they were already on the rise even before the United States waged war on Iran. As the Strait of Hormuz begins its third week of closure to its myriad political adversaries, extending what was already the single largest disruption to global oil trade in history, we can expect to see skyrocketing energy prices over the coming weeks and months. And that means that we can expect political disruptions that last a whole lot longer.  As the United States and Israel continue a bombardment…

Independent pubs could be left vulnerable to spikes in energy costs caused by the Iran war, while their larger competitors enjoy the security of fixed energy deals.  Landlords across the UK could face “devastating” costs if energy prices continue to rise, trade body UKHospitality has warned. Blockages to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping channel, have caused oil and gas prices to surge and some businesses have said they may face higher energy costs as soon as April, when they renew their contracts with suppliers. The owner…

Germany is clamping down on fuel price hikes amid war-driven oil volatility that is stressing Europe’s largest economy. The government approved draft legislation on Tuesday that would limit how often gas stations can hike prices, tightening antitrust oversight of fuel suppliers. The crackdown comes as Brent tops $100 per barrel amid the ongoing Iran conflict, with retail fuel costs soaring across the continent. Under the proposal, gas stations in Germany will be allowed to increase gasoline and diesel prices only once per day, at noon. Price…

The Iran war’s shock to oil and gas prices has, understandably, dominated much of the recent market news.  Though the downstream effects have yet to be fully understood, there is no question that we are in the throes of the greatest energy crisis in modern history, with significant implications for every facet of the modern economy. One particular aspect that is just beginning to be appreciated is the financial one.  The onset of this latest Persian Gulf war is poised to severely disrupt a channel of liquid investment, known as…

Renewable energy sources not only disrupt business relationships due to their low prices and rapid deployment, but they might also disrupt political movements as well, specifically efforts on the part of local governments to take over investor-owned utilities (municipalization), most prominently, recently, in San Francisco, Tucson, and the lower Hudson Valley, NY. Proponents of municipalization hope to reduce electricity rates to local consumers. We believe that because of the advent of newer, cheaper renewable technologies, they are going about…

Japan’s petroleum refiner Idemitsu Kosan has committed $500 million to LNG investment company MidOcean Energy as part of MidOcean’s equity raise of $1.2 billion, as the Japanese refining giant is looking to enter the global LNG business on a full-scale basis. Through the deal, Idemitsu Kosan looks to invest globally in LNG projects and capture business opportunities in growth sectors through strategic partnerships, the Japanese company said on Tuesday. Idemitsu expects to finalize the contract for the investment in MidOcean by the end…

Japan’s petroleum refiner Idemitsu Kosan has committed $500 million to LNG investment company MidOcean Energy as part of MidOcean’s equity raise of $1.2 billion, as the Japanese refining giant is looking to enter the global LNG business on a full-scale basis. Through the deal, Idemitsu Kosan looks to invest globally in LNG projects and capture business opportunities in growth sectors through strategic partnerships, the Japanese company said on Tuesday. Idemitsu expects to finalize the contract for the investment in MidOcean by the end…

Japan’s petroleum refiner Idemitsu Kosan has committed $500 million to LNG investment company MidOcean Energy as part of MidOcean’s equity raise of $1.2 billion, as the Japanese refining giant is looking to enter the global LNG business on a full-scale basis. Through the deal, Idemitsu Kosan looks to invest globally in LNG projects and capture business opportunities in growth sectors through strategic partnerships, the Japanese company said on Tuesday. Idemitsu expects to finalize the contract for the investment in MidOcean by the end…

Last week, Iran’s new supreme leader vowed to continue the country’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as the United States and Israel continue to wage war in the Middle Eastern nation. The closure of the Strait, through which over one-third of the world’s crude oil trade passed in 2025, is causing oil prices to skyrocket at a global scale, surging over USD $100 per barrel. The economic fallout from this development will be enormous, throwing into sharp relief how petro-dependent global markets continue to be. At the same time,…

The Trump administration is weighing a $1 billion payout to compensate TotalEnergies for canceled offshore wind leases, reports suggest, making what would be one of the clearest financial unwindings of Biden’s clean energy policy. According to a New York Times report cited by Reuters on Tuesday, U.S. officials are drafting agreements that would see the Interior Department cancel two offshore wind leases—Attentive Energy off New York and Carolina Long Bay off North Carolina—followed by a Justice Department payment of more than…

The Trump administration is weighing a $1 billion payout to compensate TotalEnergies for canceled offshore wind leases, reports suggest, making what would be one of the clearest financial unwindings of Biden’s clean energy policy. According to a New York Times report cited by Reuters on Tuesday, U.S. officials are drafting agreements that would see the Interior Department cancel two offshore wind leases—Attentive Energy off New York and Carolina Long Bay off North Carolina—followed by a Justice Department payment of more than…

There's actually another hot war in the Middle East that has been raging, quite apart from the Iran-US-Israel war. Pakistan and Afghanistan have been engaged in a tense border conflict for weeks at this point. The Associated Press on Monday described the latest developments in the following: Afghanistan's Taliban government on Monday accused Pakistan's military of targeting a Kabul hospital that treats drug addicts in airstrikes that killed four people and wounded several others. The attack came hours after Afghan officials said the two sides exchanged…

The biggest airlines in Europe are seeking weaker EU rules on synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) amid very high costs and scarce supply of the fuel on the market, sources told Reuters on Tuesday.   Airlines for Europe (A4E), a trade group including IAG, the owner of British Airways, as well as Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, and EasyJet, is set to call for at least a delay to the planned EU rules on the share of eSAF, as the synthetic SAF is known.    Synthetic fuels (or e-fuels) will play a major role in the…

The biggest airlines in Europe are seeking weaker EU rules on synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) amid very high costs and scarce supply of the fuel on the market, sources told Reuters on Tuesday.   Airlines for Europe (A4E), a trade group including IAG, the owner of British Airways, as well as Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, and EasyJet, is set to call for at least a delay to the planned EU rules on the share of eSAF, as the synthetic SAF is known.    Synthetic fuels (or e-fuels) will play a major role in the…

The biggest airlines in Europe are seeking weaker EU rules on synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) amid very high costs and scarce supply of the fuel on the market, sources told Reuters on Tuesday.   Airlines for Europe (A4E), a trade group including IAG, the owner of British Airways, as well as Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, and EasyJet, is set to call for at least a delay to the planned EU rules on the share of eSAF, as the synthetic SAF is known.    Synthetic fuels (or e-fuels) will play a major role in the…

Oil markets are increasingly pricing in a potential long-term disruption as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz chokes exports, overwhelms limited bypass capacity, and exposes Gulf supply routes to escalating attacks. Crude Awakening: When $200 Oil Starts to Sound Reasonable - Oil markets are warming up to the idea that crude could indeed reach $200 per barrel, a threat that Tehran’s military keeps on reiterating, after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz entered its third week.   - Most of crude tankers passing through the Hormuz…

Chinese state oil giants are back scouring the market for Russian crude, four months after halting purchases due to the U.S. sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, as China aims to offset losses of supply stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.  The U.S. last week issued a waiver allowing purchases by April 11 of Russian crude already loaded on tankers in a bid to calm the global oil market amid the biggest supply disruption in the history of oil markets.  Chinese state giants are taking advantage of this waiver and are now looking to buy Russian crude…