Secretary Bessent Comments: Iran’s Storage is Full, and Other Comments on China Trip

WASHINGTON/BEIJING – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a stark update on Iran’s oil sector while in Beijing for the Trump-Xi summit, declaring that Iran’s primary export terminal at Kharg Island has reached 100% storage capacity. No oil loadings have occurred in the past three days, ships are neither entering nor leaving, and production shutdowns […]

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OPEC+ Has Plan to Complete Series of Quota Hikes

In a move that signals business-as-usual intent amid extraordinary disruption, OPEC+ delegates have outlined plans to press ahead with a series of oil production quota increases, aiming to fully unwind the final layer of voluntary cuts announced in 2023 by the end of September 2026. According to Bloomberg reporting, key members intend to raise targets […]

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As Diplomacy Falters, Who Will Blink First and Next Steps?

The Strait of Hormuz crisis, now in its third month, has evolved from a dramatic military flashpoint into a grinding economic and diplomatic stalemate. As of May 12, 2026, President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest counterproposal as “totally unacceptable,” describing the broader ceasefire as on “life support.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues […]

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“Normalize” in the context of Aramco CEO Amin Nasser’s statement refers to the global oil/energy market fully rebalancing and stabilizing and not till 2027

This means restoring normal supply-demand equilibrium, rebuilding severely depleted global inventories, repositioning tankers and supply chains, restarting/rebalancing production flows, ending demand rationing/destruction, and removing the geopolitical risk premium that has driven price volatility and tightness. Nasser emphasized that simply reopening shipping routes (like the Strait of Hormuz) is not the same as market normalization, due […]

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Trump Rejects New Iran Peace Offer as ‘Totally Unacceptable’

In a sharp rebuke that underscores the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” doctrine, President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal as “totally unacceptable,” signaling that backchannel talks remain deadlocked and energy markets could face renewed volatility. The rejection comes amid a fragile ceasefire that has held since early April 2026 but is now strained […]

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