The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the Iran conflict, is likely to be temporary given its vital economic role. This, alongside global oil market oversupply, should limit oil price rises and mitigate any potential disruptions to Iranian oil supply, said an industry expert.
An oil tanker sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, heading to a United Arab Emirates port to load crude in a rare voyage since the Iran war severely disrupted shipping in the Middle East, according to industry sources and ship-tracking data quoted by Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that the Strait of Hormuz was “closed” and that any vessel attempting to pass through the waterway would be set “ablaze.”
Global oil and gas prices surged on Tuesday as the escalating U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted energy exports from the Middle East, triggering supply fears and sending shockwaves through commodity markets.
The risk of an expanded Iran war grew as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict, as additional US forces reached the Middle East. The first of two contingents of Marines arrived on an amphibious assault ship.
Two LPG tankers, BW Elm and BW Tyr, are crossing the Strait of Hormuz to India. So far, four stranded Indian LPG cargoes—Shivalik, Nanda Devi, Pine Gas, and Jag Vasant—have been moved from the strait.
Weaponising the Strait of Hormuz is an act of economic terrorism with global impact far beyond energy markets, said Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, Chairman of Masdar and Executive Chairman of XRG.
Aramco, the world's top oil exporter, has cut crude supply to Asian buyers for a second month in April, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, after the US-Israeli war with Iran disrupted trade via the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military is deploying a large amphibious assault ship with thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, three US officials told Reuters on Friday, as Iran's new supreme leader hailed Iran's "unity" and "resistance".
Oil price reporter S&P Global Platts has suspended bids and offers for Middle East refined product price assessments that require transit through the Strait of Hormuz due to shipping disruptions from the US-Iran conflict, the firm told subscribers.
