The European Union foreign ministers are discussing on Monday the potential to move an already operational mission in the Middle East region to try to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of the meeting.  “We will discuss the Middle East... And there, the main topic will be how to keep the Strait of Hormuz open,” Kallas said.  The EU, while receiving only 12% of Qatar’s LNG – which is now shut-in due to the war – is exposed to spiking natural gas prices…

There is an old military phrase that ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’, and it seems that Iran missed the memo on how it was meant to respond to the latest attacks on it by the U.S. and Israel. These, and the earlier attacks last year in the same vein, can be seen as an extension of the war effectively launched by Iran via its proxy Hamas’s murderous attacks of 7 October 2023 on Israel. In any event, wildcard factors are now in play that threaten sustained upheaval across the Middle East for years to come, and elevated…

Interest in the Alaska LNG export project has spiked since the war in the Middle East choked 20% of global LNG supply and sent Asian buyers scrambling for expensive spot cargoes.   Glenfarne Group, the majority owner and developer of the Alaska LNG Project, aims to sign soon binding offtake agreements with buyers and advance final investment decisions to later in 2026 and early 2027, company executives told Reuters on the sidelines of an energy conference in Tokyo on Monday.   “There's a real interest, particularly with…

The United States is close to announcing a coalition to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal and Axios reported, while Iran warned that it is not close to giving up, and neighboring Iraq continued to feel the spillover effects of the war. “The Trump administration, as soon as this week, plans to announce that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition that will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” the WSJ reported on March 15, citing unnamed US officials. The report said the matter is still…

Fujairah, the UAE’s key oil export port, suspended oil loadings on Monday after another attack on the only UAE port located outside the Strait of Hormuz. The escalating conflict spreading to the entire energy infrastructure in the Middle East sent oil prices 3% higher early on Monday, with the U.S. benchmark WTI Crude topping $100 per barrel and Brent Crude above $106 per barrel. “The port is outside the Strait of Hormuz, so any disruption to oil loadings would lead to further market tightening,” ING's commodities strategists…

REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY) built something that barely exists anywhere in the Western world — a rare earth supply chain that doesn’t touch China at any step. Japan figured out decades ago why that matters. The U.S. is just realizing it in 2026. Japan’s response to China’s rare earth processing monopoly was decisive. The Japanese government built strategic stockpiles of processed rare earth materials. On top of that, individual Japanese companies quietly built their own reserves — covering years of supply each. Combined,…

Previously, we reported that Pakistan could find itself sucked into the Middle East war thanks to the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) it signed with Saudi Arabia in September 2025. The core of the agreement states that any aggression against one country is considered an aggression against both, potentially requiring Pakistan to intervene against Iran’s missile strikes on Saudi Arabia. However, military confrontation with its southerly neighbor might turn out to be a less existential threat for Pakistan. Surging oil prices are already…

Asia is the biggest market for liquefied natural gas. Asia is also the destination of up to 90% of Qatari and Emirati LNG—or was, until this month. With the shutdown of Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex and the Strait of Hormuz traffic disruption, Asia is facing a lot of energy supply pain. QatarEnergy announced a complete halt to LNG production after Iranian drone strikes hit facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City on March 2. A force majeure declaration followed on QatarEnergy exports. The move started a…

The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East have caused the biggest oil disruption in history. The closure of a major transit route between Asia and Europe, as well as restrictions on fossil fuel production in the region, have driven oil and gas prices up, a trend that is set to continue. So, as governments are facing rising consumer energy bills once again, will it be enough to encourage a Covid-era pivot to renewable energy? The U.S. war against Iran has caused the largest oil disruption in history, according to…

Colombia’s natural gas production is spiraling ever lower, with the hydrocarbon sector impacted by tax hikes and leftist President Gustavo Petro’s reforms aimed at weaning the country off its dependence on fossil fuels. This forced Bogota to significantly boost costly liquified petroleum gas (LPG) imports to meet domestic demand and ensure the stability of Colombia's electricity grid. Those imports are straining government finances and the economy at a time of fiscal crisis. Nonetheless, U.S. President Donald Trump’s intervention…

Since Saudi Arabia announced plans to develop its Neom mega-project in 2017, it has been widely criticised by architects, engineers, and energy experts for being unattainable. Nevertheless, the Kingdom marched on, commencing works on several parts of its mega-city, including The Line (a 170-km linear city), Oxagon (floating industrial hub), Trojena (mountain ski resort), and Sindalah (luxury island). However, as projected construction costs have risen again and again, and several challenges have arisen, the government has finally decided to scrap…

The oil futures paper market is likely underestimating the massive supply disruption that a closed Strait of Hormuz is creating in physical crude and fuel supply globally. Crude futures prices briefly spiked early this week to $119 per barrel, before retreating to the $90s and trading at $100 a barrel early on Friday in Asian trade. However, the premium of physical Dubai crude has surged to $38 per barrel over its paper equivalent, according to data compiled by Reuters columnist Clyde Russell. The wide gap between paper and physical prices suggests…

The United States and Iran are fighting not just because of their differences, but also because of their similarities. Both countries see themselves as exceptional civilizations shaped by religion and sustained by a sense of victimhood. Each believes it has been repeatedly wronged by the other and is therefore acting defensively. This mutual narrative has become one of the most powerful forces shaping U.S.–Iran relations. Both nations interpret the relationship through different historical starting points. Because their memories of the conflict…

As the war in Iran spills over into other parts of the Middle East, energy experts expect the price of several oil and gas products to soar over the coming months, driven by shortages. This will likely affect flight prices, with several airlines warning of anticipated price hikes. It could lead to a travel slump, as consumers wait for prices to fall again. Australia’s Qantas Airways, Scandinavia’s SAS, and Air New Zealand are three of the airlines to have already announced airfare hikes in response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle…

This week, Zimbabwe took a historic step to protect its own value chains from external exploitation by fast-tracking a ban on raw lithium exports, effective until further notice – and the impacts have been widespread both domestically and abroad. The February 25 ban was immediate and unexpected, as were its impacts on global battery supply chains and local mining operations.  Originally, the export ban was planned for January 2027, with the intent of incentivizing the local processing and refining of lithium instead of leaving value…

Since coming into power in January 2025, United States President Trump has pursued an energy policy centred around fossil fuels. As part of his plan to expand U.S. oil and gas production, Trump has made it easier to attain licences to dig for fossil fuels on federal land and has reopened several regions to exploration. One such region is Alaska, where new exploration had previously been restricted due to environmental concerns. However, during the recent sale of oil and gas leases in Alaska, there was little interest in the region, suggesting that…

U.S. President Donald Trump said American forces had launched a major bombing raid on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, targeting military facilities on the key Persian Gulf outpost while warning Tehran that its vital oil infrastructure could be destroyed if shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. In a social media statement, Trump said that at his direction the United States Central Command carried out “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East,” claiming U.S. forces had “totally obliterated…

U.S. President Donald Trump said American forces had launched a major bombing raid on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, targeting military facilities on the key Persian Gulf outpost while warning Tehran that its vital oil infrastructure could be destroyed if shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. In a social media statement, Trump said that at his direction the United States Central Command carried out “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East,” claiming U.S. forces had “totally obliterated…

U.S. President Donald Trump said American forces had launched a major bombing raid on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, targeting military facilities on the key Persian Gulf outpost while warning Tehran that its vital oil infrastructure could be destroyed if shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. In a social media statement, Trump said that at his direction the United States Central Command carried out “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East,” claiming U.S. forces had “totally obliterated…

U.S. President Donald Trump said American forces had launched a major bombing raid on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, targeting military facilities on the key Persian Gulf outpost while warning Tehran that its vital oil infrastructure could be destroyed if shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. In a social media statement, Trump said that at his direction the United States Central Command carried out “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East,” claiming U.S. forces had “totally obliterated…