Geopolitical Leverage and the Bab el-Mandeb Chokepoint Middle East analyst Fawaz Gerges described the move to Reuters as a game changer, noting that it alters the balance of power and gives far greater geopolitical and geoeconomic leverage over Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, the United States, and global trade. Diplomatic Shifts and the Omani-Iranian Meetings Riyadh … Read more
Pakistan has delivered a Saudi warning to Iran urging leaders in Tehran to rein in Yemen’s Houthi movement as escalating cross-border fighting tests Islamabad’s delicate diplomatic balancing act, according to Saudi, Pakistani, and Iranian sources. High Stakes in Regional Diplomacy Meanwhile, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said in a briefing on Thursday that … Read more
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one vessel off the coast of Kharg Island near Iran’s key oil export hub, according to U.S. Central Command. The military action followed a ballistic missile attack launched by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against two U.S. Navy ships, according to statements from Central Command. … Read more
The Trump administration is beginning to send diplomatic personnel back to U.S. missions across the Middle East that were evacuated or downsized during recent tensions with Iran, according to two people familiar with the matter. Posts in Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Baghdad are among those slated for staff returns, with family members also permitted … Read more
Saudi crude exports from the Red Sea are increasingly vanishing from view as tankers switch off tracking signals to avoid attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, according to ship-tracking firms and industry analysts. The shift obscures visibility into global oil supply assessments and creates wide discrepancies in export estimates used by the International Energy Agency and … Read more
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to six vessels on August 11, falling significantly below the 10-day average of approximately 11 ships, according to Kpler data. Strait of Hormuz Traffic Trends The current volume of maritime traffic represents a sharp reduction from pre-war levels, when 130 to 140 ships typically transited the waterway … Read more
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted to 33 vessels between Monday and Thursday, down from 50 in the previous week, according to Kpler data published by Reuters. Markets are closely monitoring ongoing talks between Iran and Oman to gauge any potential progress in reopening the critical global energy waterway following regional conflicts. … Read more
According to shipping data from Kpler, transit volumes at these critical maritime chokepoints fell significantly compared to the previous day, following reports of missile attacks on tankers in the region. Strait of Hormuz Traffic Nears Standstill Transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy supplies, slowed to just two vessels on … Read more
Two Chinese very large crude carriers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil are heading toward the Bab el-Mandeb strait to exit the Red Sea, shipping data shows, testing whether Houthi forces will enforce a newly announced naval blockade against Saudi shipping despite ongoing regional military escalations. Chinese Very Large Crude Carriers … Read more
Houthi militants have escalated regional maritime tensions by launching ballistic and cruise missiles at two Saudi-flagged oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea. According to reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the maritime risk management firm Vanguard, the Encelia sustained fire damage after being struck by a … Read more