Shipping shrugs off Hormuz Strait incidents
Despite contradictory claims of increased tensions in Mideast Gulf waters and possible rapprochement between the US and Iran, the situation appears business as usual for freight
Washington and Tehran are once again in talks. The discussions are not public but likely address issues such as prisoners, regional conflicts and tensions, the US-led sanctions on Iran and the Islamic Republic’s a ambitions. And while the enmity between the two countries might seem impossible to bridge, the two parties were able to reach a wide-ranging accommodation relatively recently. The 2015 JCPOA deal loosened sanctions in exchange for Iran halting its nuclear projects, although of course that deal was subsequently scrapped when the Republicans retook the White House. But for a brief window while the JCPOA was in place, Iranian crude flowed into the market, including deliveries to Europ

Also in this section
15 May 2025
Financial problems, lack of exploration success and political dogma cause uncertainty across much of the region
14 May 2025
The invisible hand of the market has seen increasing transparency but much more needs to be done to build a better understanding
13 May 2025
A fall in Venezuelan output drives overall production lower, as Saudi Arabia starts to slowly bring more crude to the market
12 May 2025
With the gas industry’s staunchest advocates and opponents taking brutal blows, the sector looks like treading a path of insipid indifference