Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Oil prices slumped on Monday after the United States and Iran halted attacks, raising hopes that diplomacy could prevent a wider conflict and restore stability to critical energy routes across the Middle East. Brent crude, the benchmark for more than two-thirds of global oil supplies, fell 9.13 per cent to $87.94 a barrel by 11.55pm UAE time. West Texas Intermediate dropped 7.94 per […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait dropped to its lowest level in months after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities intensified security concerns across two of the world’s most important energy corridors. Only 11 vessels carrying commodities passed through the narrow waterway on Sunday, reflecting a sharp retreat by shipowners and charterers assessing the threat to tankers linked to Saudi Arabia. Traffic […]
Ship traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait has fallen to its lowest daily level in months after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure heightened fears that another major Middle East energy corridor could become unsafe for commercial vessels. Only 11 commodity-carrying ships crossed the narrow waterway on Sunday, vessel-tracking data showed. The passage links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a vital […]
Iran-affiliated hackers are exploiting internet-connected industrial controllers across US water, energy and government facilities, expanding their targets to equipment made by Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric and Siemens. A July 22 update to a joint federal cybersecurity advisory confirmed that the campaign has moved beyond Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley controllers. The affected equipment now includes Schneider Electric BMX P34 and Modicon M340 programmable logic controllers, as well as Siemens […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The United States and Iran have halted attacks for a second consecutive night, creating a fragile opening for diplomacy after nearly two weeks of escalating strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. US forces carried out no reported air strikes against Iran during the weekend after 13 straight nights of operations aimed at missile sites, coastal positions and other capabilities used to threaten commercial […]
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is prepared to challenge US President Donald Trump publicly when Britain’s national interest requires it, setting out a more assertive approach to the country’s most important defence and diplomatic partnership. Burnham made the commitment during his first major broadcast interview since succeeding Keir Starmer, while stressing that disagreement would not prevent close cooperation between London and Washington. He described his […]
Google has begun introducing a unified naming system for cyber threat actors, replacing overlapping labels used by its security teams with two-word cryptonyms designed to give defenders clearer context about attackers and their likely objectives. The Google Threat Intelligence Group, known as GTIG, said the taxonomy would standardise threat tracking across its platforms and public reporting. The change follows the integration of Mandiant and Google’s Threat Analysis […]
Houthi forces launched missiles and drones at Saudi oil facilities on the Red Sea coast as the United States halted its bombing of Iran after 13 consecutive nights, opening a narrow diplomatic pause while the regional conflict spread towards a second vital shipping corridor. The Yemen-based group said Saturday’s coordinated operation targeted Saudi Aramco installations in Jizan, close to the Yemeni border, and Yanbu, the kingdom’s principal […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai President Donald Trump halted planned US strikes on Iran on Friday after 13 consecutive nights of attacks, opening a narrow diplomatic window as Oman pressed talks over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The order marked the first night without a new American bombing operation in almost two weeks, but it did not amount to a ceasefire. US forces remained deployed across the […]
Matein Khalid As Centcom continues its nightly blitz on Iran, the so-called 60-day ceasefire has effectively ended. In truth, the fire never ceased. If Count Tolstoy lived in 2026, his magnum opus might well be renamed… War or Peace? Again. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz while sanctions relief on Kharg Island oil sales remains a big ask. They know US […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Bahrain and Kuwait carried out covert airstrikes against military facilities inside Iran in early July, marking their first known direct offensive action against Tehran during the widening regional war. The operation targeted storage sites holding missiles and attack drones, along with other military installations linked to Iran’s capacity to strike Gulf countries. The United Arab Emirates supplied intelligence on potential targets and provided […]
By Nitya Chakraborty India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 this year which carries unusual significance in the present changing landscape of the geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific as also in other parts of the world. Most importantly, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Russian President Vladimir Putin […]
The article Narendra Modi Has A Golden Opportunity To Lead Global South At BRICS Summit appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Iran-linked cyber actors are targeting internet-connected industrial control systems used across US water, energy, manufacturing and public-service networks, prompting an expanded federal warning covering equipment made by Siemens, Schneider Electric and Rockwell Automation. The updated alert says attackers have gained access to programmable logic controllers, or PLCs, which manage physical processes inside critical infrastructure. Intruders have downloaded malicious project files, altered control logic and manipulated information shown […]
President Donald Trump is considering a major expansion of United States attacks on Iran, warning that Tehran has not suffered enough pressure to accept a peace agreement as escalating hostilities drive oil prices above $100 a barrel. Trump said he was close to deciding whether to authorise an assault that would be larger than previous operations against Iran. He described the potential action as a “massive attack” […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US President Donald Trump has made Saudi Arabia’s normalisation of relations with Israel a condition for advancing a newly signed civil nuclear cooperation agreement, adding a major diplomatic hurdle to a deal already facing scrutiny over uranium enrichment and safeguards. Trump said on Thursday that the agreement was “totally subject” to Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords, the US-backed framework that established diplomatic relations […]
September-loading cargoes of ESPO Blend, Russia’s flagship Far Eastern crude grade, have attracted brisk demand from state-owned and independent refiners despite shrinking discounts. Buyers that would normally enter the market closer to loading dates are moving early to lock in supplies and reduce exposure to possible shipping delays across the Gulf and Red Sea.
ESPO cargoes delivered to China are being offered at discounts of roughly $1 to $3 a barrel against benchmark Brent prices. That compares with discounts near $4 for some August supplies, indicating that demand has strengthened even as the crude becomes less attractive on price.
The buying surge reflects growing concern over the reliability of Middle Eastern flows. Disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, combined with threats to shipping near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, has complicated routes used by Gulf producers to reach Asian customers.
Saudi Arabia has relied more heavily on its East-West pipeline to move crude from production centres near the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. That option reduces dependence on Hormuz but leaves shipments exposed to security risks near Yemen and the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
China, the world’s largest crude importer, depends heavily on Middle Eastern producers. Russia offers an alternative supply line that avoids both maritime chokepoints. ESPO is particularly valuable because cargoes are shipped from Kozmino, near the Pacific coast, and can reach northern Chinese ports within days.
The short voyage lowers freight costs, reduces transit risk and gives refiners greater flexibility than crude shipped from the Gulf, Atlantic Basin or western Russian ports. ESPO is also a light, low-sulphur grade that produces relatively high volumes of petrol and diesel, making it suitable for many Chinese refining configurations.
Russia’s seaborne deliveries to China have increasingly centred on Far Eastern supply. ESPO represented about 62 per cent of China’s seaborne Russian crude imports in June, while overall Russian seaborne volumes rose by nearly 9 per cent from the previous month.
Purchases are being supported by competition from buyers elsewhere in Asia. Strong demand from India has helped prevent Russian exporters from offering the wide discounts seen earlier in the year. ESPO cargoes had traded as much as $9 to $10 below Brent for some February loadings before the market tightened.
The latest deals show how geopolitical risk can outweigh concerns surrounding sanctions and payment arrangements. Western measures against Russia have forced traders to rely on alternative shipping, insurance and financial networks, but established routes between Kozmino and China have continued to operate.
Chinese refiners are also examining fresh purchases of Iranian crude, which remains heavily discounted because of sanctions and transport risks. Independent processors concentrated in Shandong province have held talks over Pars and Iran Light cargoes as sellers seek buyers for barrels already moving towards Asia or held in floating storage.
Iranian grades have become cheaper relative to ESPO, although refiners must weigh the discount against possible delays, tanker availability and tighter enforcement. High international prices also restrict the amount smaller plants can purchase, particularly when domestic fuel demand and refining margins are uncertain.
Several independent refiners bought about 20 million barrels of crude from Iraq, the UAE and Qatar for July and August loading when Middle Eastern supplies briefly became cheaper. Some companies are now exploring the resale of those cargoes at higher prices to refiners in Taiwan and South Korea as regional availability tightens.
That shift illustrates the speed with which China’s private refining sector responds to changes in freight, sanctions and physical supply. The plants, often described as teapot refiners, can switch among Russian, Iranian and non-sanctioned Middle Eastern grades depending on margins and import quotas.
Two China-linked supertankers carrying about four million barrels of Saudi crude have exited the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, defying threats against vessels connected to the kingdom’s oil trade. The Xin Long Yang and Cosnew Lake completed the passage on Thursday after sailing south along Yemen’s coast. Their movement provided an important test of whether Saudi Arabia can continue using its Red Sea export route […]
By Asad Mirza Washington and Riyadh have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation pact that could let Saudi Arabia enrich uranium on its own soil. Announced this week and now headed to Congress, the deal marks a historic shift in US nonproliferation policy, alarms Israel and threatens to reshape the regional balance of power just as […]
The article The US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Redrawing The Middle East’s Atomic Map appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed that cruise missiles struck Amazon Web Services infrastructure in Bahrain, describing the facility as a key component of United States-linked digital operations in the Gulf. The scale and timing of any new damage have not been independently verified. The IRGC said the attack destroyed what it called Amazon’s central data hub in Bahrain. Its statement presented the operation as retaliation […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained willing to negotiate an end to the Iran conflict, but accused Tehran of showing no serious commitment to diplomacy as attacks and threats disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. Speaking during a visit to Manila on Wednesday, Rubio said the United States was prepared to pursue a negotiated settlement if […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Goldman Sachs has retained its forecast for Brent crude to average $80 a barrel in the fourth quarter of 2026, arguing that constrained Middle East supply should support prices if hostilities between the United States and Iran ease before the end of the year. The investment bank’s baseline projection assumes that geopolitical tensions will gradually subside and oil shipments through the Strait of […]
The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark civil nuclear co-operation agreement that could eventually allow the kingdom to enrich uranium, opening a new chapter in their strategic partnership while intensifying concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed the accord in Washington on Wednesday. The agreement, known as a Section […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s largest lender Emirates NBD reported a second-quarter net profit of AED6.4 billion, beating market expectations as strong lending, resilient margins and its expanded international business offset disruption from the regional conflict. Profit was broadly unchanged from the first quarter, while earnings for the first six months of 2026 rose 3 per cent from a year earlier to AED12.9 billion. The performance underlined […]
Matein Khalid The revival of the US-Israel-Iran war is set to intensify the concatenation of economic, energy and geopolitical shocks facing neighbouring Iraq. Before the February 28 onset of the conflict, Iraq was Opec’s second-largest oil producer, with estimated output of 4.3-4.5 million barrels per day. By June, national production had fallen to a paltry 817,000 bpd, comparable to that of minor producers such as Azerbaijan or Oman. This is an […]
