Qatar
_0_1780930643.jpg)
Fitch raises oil and gas sector outlook to improving on Hormuz closure price effect
Fitch has raised its 2026 oil and gas outlook to improving, lifting its Brent assumption to $87 on a five-month Strait of Hormuz closure, with prices seen at $100-110 before easing to $70 by September.
Asia needs Azerbaijan as Hormuz risks grow
The escalating crisis in the Middle East and severe disruptions to energy transportation through the Strait of Hormuz have once again demonstrated how vulnerable the global oil and gas market remains to instability.
Qatar Airways expands African network with Port Sudan launch and added frequencies
Qatar Airways is expanding its African network with a new Port Sudan service from July 2, resumed flights to Seychelles, Kigali and Marrakesh, and added frequencies across Egypt and southern Africa.
Inventory drawdowns mask impact of Hormuz disruption as clock runs down towards a September supply crunch
Global oil markets are relying heavily on inventory drawdowns to offset a supply shock caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with OECD stockpiles potentially reaching stress levels by mid-September if current trends persist, according to Oxf
US votes through new war powers act to try and halt Iran war
The US House just voted 215 to 208 to end the Iran war, by passing a new War Act, that is unlikely to have any impact on the Iran conflict as US President Donald Trump is widely expected to veto the motion.
_1780493038.jpg)
Iran strikes US base in Bahrain and Kuwait International Airport
Iran announced that it had struck the headquarters of the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain as well as the Kuwait International Airport, resulting in one death.
_0_1780326589.jpg)
COMMENT: A new world of asymmetrical diplomacy
The world has changed in a very fundamental way. For most of the last century the world has been run on the lines of Great Power Geopolitics: them and us; the enlightened and the barbaric; the rich and the poor.
Trump seeks tougher terms in revised Iran deal
Ceasefire and nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran have moved forward after US and Iranian negotiators drafted a new agreement, but President Donald Trump has sent the proposal back with tougher demands, with Iran to respond this week.
Global oil inventories falling at record pace, critical storage threshold about to be breached - IEA
Global oil inventories are declining at a record rate as the market absorbs a major Middle East supply disruption, raising the risk of sharp price increases if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, according to the International Energy Agency.
Trump's Abraham Accords gambit appears doomed to fail, given Iran's regional strength
With Iran making itself a heavily relied upon partner to regional allies, US President Donald Trump's bid to bring Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey into the Abraham Accords with Israel appears destined to fail.
US and Iran near nuclear deal, US officials say agreement 95% done
The United States and Iran are within reach of a landmark nuclear agreement, with negotiators reporting that a framework deal is 95% complete, according to officials cited by Fox News on May 24.
Russia oil and gas revenues up 40% in May on Iran war pressures
Russia’s oil and gas revenues are expected to jump 39% year on year in May to about RUB700bn ($9.8bn), buoyed by higher global crude prices driven by the conflict involving Iran, according to Reuters calculations published on May 20.
Iran claims anti-radiation missiles blinded US destroyers in Hormuz during Operation Project Freedom clash
Claim and counter claim are flying between Washington and Tehran about what happened during the 48 hours that Operation Project Freedom was in effect. Iranian state media claims it used a sophisticated anti-radar missile to blind three US warships.
_1_1778502816.jpg)
Is the UAE breaking away?
The UAE has left OPEC, lost a proxy war with Saudi Arabia in Yemen, armed a militia accused of genocide in Sudan, recognised Somaliland alongside Israel, and welcomed an Iron Dome battery onto its soil.
_2_1778493938.jpg)
Fitch raises 2026-27 oil and gas price assumptions on prolonged Hormuz closure
Fitch Ratings has raised its 2026-2027 oil and gas price assumptions on a longer Strait of Hormuz closure, assuming reopening around July, with Brent expected at USD100-110 per barrel through July before falling to USD70 by September.
Qatar resumes LNG shipments through Strait of Hormuz after 70-day wartime halt
Qatar has sent its first liquefied natural gas cargo through the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, marking a tentative resumption of energy exports through the strait.
The Iran war exposes fiscal fragility around the world
The Iran war has arrived at the worst possible fiscal moment for most of the world's major economies. Governments spent heavily on Covid, defence and two energy crises. Fiscal space across most of the developed world is limited or exhausted.
US strikes Iran after destroyers come under fire in Hormuz, Project Freedom collapses
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran came under its most severe test yet on May 8 as Iranian forces launched missiles, drones and fast-attack boats against three US Navy destroyers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia’s oil revenues rebound on Middle East conflict price hike, but gains are modest
Russia’s oil and gas revenues rebounded sharply in April as surging crude prices linked to conflict in the Middle East boosted export earnings, offering the Kremlin temporary relief after months of mounting fiscal pressure.
Europe’s Russian Arctic LNG imports from Yamal hit record high in first four months of 2026
The EU imported more Russian Arctic liquefied natural gas in the first four months of 2026 than in any equivalent period since the Yamal LNG project began exporting in 2017, according to new analysis of Kpler shipping data.