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 […]
The United States and Iran have intensified their exchange of attacks, drawing Gulf states deeper into a conflict that has entered an eleventh consecutive night of American strikes and raised the risk of a wider regional war. US Central Command said its latest operation targeted Iran’s military infrastructure, including coastal surveillance systems, air defence installations, maritime assets and storage facilities for missiles and drones. The campaign is […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports fell for a third consecutive month in May, reaching the lowest level recorded in more than two decades as conflict-driven shipping disruption across the Gulf constrained the kingdom’s ability to move supplies to overseas buyers. Exports dropped to 3.434 million barrels per day from 3.986 million bpd in April, data submitted to the Joint Organisations Data Initiative showed. […]
Project CAV3RN has adopted a new communication module that hides command-and-control traffic inside Outlook calendar events, marking a significant upgrade to the cyberespionage framework’s efforts to evade conventional network monitoring. The module, named AzureCommunication. dll, appears designed to replace an earlier component that exchanged instructions and stolen data through HTTP and WebSocket connections. It instead uses Microsoft Graph to access a compromised Microsoft 365 mailbox, turning calendar […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Yemen’s Houthi movement has declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, adding another unofficial customs authority to one of the world’s busiest and most heavily armed stretches of water. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced on Monday that the measure would take effect immediately, apparently concluding that international shipping had enjoyed far too much clarity about which sea lane might be attacked next. The […]
Markets rarely break for one reason. Right now there are four forces pulling at global equities simultaneously, and none of them has fully played out yet. Investors heading into next week need to understand all four, because treating any single one in isolation misses the bigger picture. Start with the rotation nobody predicted a month ago. Tech has stalled while old-economy value has caught a bid. The […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The UAE economy has withstood disruption from the Middle East conflict, supported by strong financial reserves, rapid policy intervention and continued strength across banking, trade and logistics, the International Monetary Fund has said. An IMF staff team completed a visit to Abu Dhabi and Dubai from July 7 to 16, holding discussions on economic conditions, financial-sector performance and policy priorities. The meetings also […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran has claimed that ballistic missiles and drones destroyed several US military aircraft stationed in Jordan, widening a fast-escalating exchange of attacks across the Middle East. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the operation targeted US fighter jets and aerial refuelling aircraft at military facilities in Jordan. It claimed several aircraft were destroyed and others seriously damaged, but offered no independently verifiable evidence. […]
India has barred shipping companies from assigning the country’s seafarers to vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, tightening safety measures after deadly attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf. The Directorate General of Maritime Administration issued the instruction through Circular No. 36 of 2026, dated July 15, directing shipowners, ship managers and recruitment and placement service companies to stop fresh deployments on voyages involving the strategic […]
