Citi has raised its third-quarter Brent crude forecast to $80 per barrel from $75 as the U.S.-Iran war drags on and repeated attempts at a deal fail to restore normal oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The bank still expects the conflict to be resolved, but the five-month war has lasted longer than Citi anticipated and kept more geopolitical risk in crude prices. Citi left its fourth-quarter Brent forecast unchanged at $70 per barrel and still sees the benchmark averaging $65 in 2027. Brent futures were trading at $83.11 per barrel on Friday…

Citi has raised its third-quarter Brent crude forecast to $80 per barrel from $75 as the U.S.-Iran war drags on and repeated attempts at a deal fail to restore normal oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The bank still expects the conflict to be resolved, but the five-month war has lasted longer than Citi anticipated and kept more geopolitical risk in crude prices. Citi left its fourth-quarter Brent forecast unchanged at $70 per barrel and still sees the benchmark averaging $65 in 2027. Brent futures were trading at $83.11 per barrel on Friday…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States stayed the same overall this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, with the total rig count in the US staying at 588, up 49 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs rose by 3, reaching 454 during the latest reporting period, according to the data. This is 43 above this same time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by 3 to 124, which is 1 more than this time last year. Miscellaneous rigs stayed at 10. The latest EIA data…

Conflicting signals from Washington and Tehran keep oil markets on edge as Iran weighs a permanent Hormuz shipping ban while Trump insists a deal is within reach. Friday, August 07, 2026 The oil market’s very own schizophrenia – trying to read into the contradicting claims of US President Trump and Iranian officials seeking to escalate the blockade of Hormuz even further – continues to puzzle industry analysts and traders. Iran’s Parliament is reviewing a bill to permanently ban US, Israeli and other hostile vessels from…

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said attacks on its vessels and employees are having a significant impact on operations as the company tries to keep crude, gas and refined products moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Fifteen ADNOC vessels have been hit by missiles or drones since the war began, including three this week, the company said Friday. One crew member has been killed and 20 others injured. The Strait of Hormuz carried roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption before the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran expanded into a broader regional…

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) is confident the country could raise oil production to 2 million barrels per day (bpd) by early next decade from about 1.4 million bpd now, NOC chairman Masoud Suleman told Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday. A 2026 unified budget for Libya, brokered with the help of the United States, gives the NOC a “lifeline” of more than $2 billion (13 billion Libyan dinars) as an operating budget, the official told Bloomberg. The national oil company did not receive any funding in the 2025 budget.…

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) is confident the country could raise oil production to 2 million barrels per day (bpd) by early next decade from about 1.4 million bpd now, NOC chairman Masoud Suleman told Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday. A 2026 unified budget for Libya, brokered with the help of the United States, gives the NOC a “lifeline” of more than $2 billion (13 billion Libyan dinars) as an operating budget, the official told Bloomberg. The national oil company did not receive any funding in the 2025 budget.…

The latest Saudi oil route looks absurd on a map. Crude moves west across Saudi Arabia to Yanbu, north through the Red Sea to Egypt, across the SUMED pipeline from Ain Sokhna to Sidi Kerir, then west through the Mediterranean before tankers sail around the Cape of Good Hope to reach customers in Asia. Oil that started relatively close to Asia first travels thousands of kilometres in the opposite direction. The detour reportedly adds around $5 per barrel once extra freight, fuel, insurance and pipeline charges are included. For a two-million-barrel…

ADNOC has bought 11 very large crude and gas carriers for $1.3 billion as the national oil company of Abu Dhabi continues to expand its fleet of supertankers to boost crude and LNG exports. ADNOC’s unit ADNOC Logistics & Services plc on Friday announced it had acquired five modern Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) and six Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) for a combined investment of about $1.3 billion. Nine of the vessels, six VLCCs and three VLGCs, were acquired on the secondary market. They are scheduled for delivery this quarter and…

ADNOC has bought 11 very large crude and gas carriers for $1.3 billion as the national oil company of Abu Dhabi continues to expand its fleet of supertankers to boost crude and LNG exports. ADNOC’s unit ADNOC Logistics & Services plc on Friday announced it had acquired five modern Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) and six Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) for a combined investment of about $1.3 billion. Nine of the vessels, six VLCCs and three VLGCs, were acquired on the secondary market. They are scheduled for delivery this quarter and…

Ukraine's failure to intercept a single Russian missile during a large-scale overnight attack this week has raised fresh concerns over Kyiv's dwindling supply of air-defense interceptors as Moscow escalates its ballistic missile strikes on the nearly defenseless capital and other regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that deliveries of anti-ballistic interceptor missiles from partner countries have fallen sharply, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to deadly attacks that are being launched by Russia with increasing frequency. Following…

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey are expected to sign on Friday a joint defense cooperation agreement amid the Middle East’s turmoil triggered by the war in Iran, Reuters reports, citing sources familiar with the plans. On Friday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Jeddah for an official visit, the Saudi Press Agency reported. It wasn’t immediately clear what the commitments of each of the three countries will be in the joint agreement. The three mostly Sunni Muslim powers have been concerned over the turmoil…

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey are expected to sign on Friday a joint defense cooperation agreement amid the Middle East’s turmoil triggered by the war in Iran, Reuters reports, citing sources familiar with the plans. On Friday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Jeddah for an official visit, the Saudi Press Agency reported. It wasn’t immediately clear what the commitments of each of the three countries will be in the joint agreement. The three mostly Sunni Muslim powers have been concerned over the turmoil…

Despite a decline in dependence on primary energy imports, India remains highly dependent, at a massive 90%, on crude oil imports for its consumption, a new industry report has shown. India’s dependence on primary energy imports fell to 42% in the financial year 2025 from 47% in FY 2017, according to a joint report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and EY. However, India remains highly dependent on crude oil imports, with 90% of all demand met by purchases from overseas, the report noted. “Overall primary energy import dependence…

September WTI crude oil futures are trading at $78.08 early Friday, down $8.72, or 10.05%, for the week. The market opened at $80.10, traded as high as $82.33, and fell to $74.24. With Friday’s session still ahead, the weekly result is not final. But the message from the price action is clear. Traders sold the possibility that diplomacy could restore crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz, then bought back part of the break when it became clear that the shipping problem had not been solved. The early selloff was driven by optimism surrounding…

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Eight Arab and Muslim countries have accused Israel of violating the Gaza ceasefire as Israeli strikes continue more than nine months after the U.S.-mediated “truce” took effect. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia jointly condemned Israeli attacks on civilians, healthcare facilities and other infrastructure. More than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the October ceasefire, according to Gaza health authorities. Israeli forces have…

Iran and Oman appear close to an agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the remaining issues are substantial. Tehran would control inbound traffic while Oman would oversee outbound shipping, and Iran is seeking sanctions relief in exchange for toll-free passage. Washington opposes giving Iran control over shipping lanes, while the shipping industry has warned that proposed transit fees and existing U.S. sanctions could make the arrangement unworkable. Even if an agreement is announced, it would address shipping through Hormuz rather than…

India’s crude oil production fell for the third consecutive financial year in 2025/2026, the government said as it launches a push to boost offshore oil and gas exploration. India’s crude output fell by 3% in the 2025/2026 fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, Oil and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Parliament. “The domestic oil production over the last three years has shown a slight decline, primarily owing to natural decline in mature and ageing oil and gas fields,” the government said. State-owned Oil and Natural…

Oil prices fell for a second week running thanks to optimism surrounding renewed U.S.-Iran diplomacy to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that talks between Washington and Tehran would resume l, adding that U.S. allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, had urged him to suspend attacks. Iran and Oman have managed to reach a preliminary agreement on geographic coordinates for a temporary, partial shipping route through Hormuz, easing immediate supply fears. However, oil prices managed to snap their…

Southeast Asia is falling short of its ambitious projects to boost gas-fired power generation to meet growing electricity demand and replace some of the coal use. Fuel availability, volatile prices, and supply chain bottlenecks threaten to drive up costs and delay projects by years, energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie says. Six of the biggest Southeast Asian economies and power markets – Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines – are set to deliver only a third of their combined planned gas-fired power capacity…