Oil prices fell below $100 a barrel this morning (April 14) over signs of new US-Iran dialogue to end their war. Brent crude was at $97.8 in early trade, while US WTI crude was at $96.83.
deVere Group CEO Nigel Green warns that closing the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a sharp oil price surge beyond previous spikes and cause intensified market volatility as blockade risks become more plausible.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that the US Navy would immediately begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating tensions after marathon talks with Iran collapsed without a deal to end the war, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire hanging in the balance.
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement after marathon 21-hour talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad throwing the two-week Middle East ceasefire into doubt.
Asia's biggest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) importers, including India and China, are racing to replace disrupted Middle East supplies with cargoes from the Americas, driving spot premiums to record highs, analysts and traders said.
The US military said on Saturday that two of its warships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz and conditions were being set to clear mines, while Iran's state media denied any US ships had transited the waterway.
All eyes are on Pakistan's capital Islamabad as it hosts what are being described as “make-or-break” talks between the United States and Iran on Saturday, even as doubts persist over their prospects amid sharply divergent positions, ongoing violence in Lebanon, and renewed warnings from Donald Trump of intensified military action if diplomacy fails.
US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance met directly with Iranian officials in Pakistan on Saturday — a significant moment for two countries that have typically held high-level talks through intermediaries, a CNN report said.
Sudan is emerging as an unlikely economic beneficiary of the geopolitical upheaval triggered by the Israel-US war on Iran, as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz force Gulf states to rethink supply chains and food security strategies now more than ever, according to an industry expert.
Sadara Chemical, a joint venture between Saudi oil giant Aramco and US chemicals firm Dow, has announced that it has temporarily shut down production at its parent-operated plant. Sadara Chemical operates a complex in Jubail with an annual production capacity of 3 million MT of chemicals and plastics.
