Geopolitical Archives - Page 4 of 38

Middle East Escalation Meets China’s Return: Dual Chokepoints, Record Tanker Rates, and an Upward Spiral in Crude and Products

September 13, 2026 Clark Savage710

The Middle East energy map tightened sharply over the past week even as China resumed heavier crude buying. Houthi forces seized key Red Sea positions including Mocha and Perim Island, tightening control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and targeting Saudi-linked vessels. Drones originating from Iraq struck Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, prompting a precautionary shutdown of […]

Russia Hits Odesa Again as Black Sea Shipping Disrupted

September 12, 2026 Clark Savage620

Russian forces launched another large missile-and-drone barrage on Ukraine’s Odesa region overnight September 11–12, 2026, hitting residential buildings, energy infrastructure, and the port complex that once moved the bulk of Ukraine’s grain and oilseed exports. Ukrainian officials reported at least 11 people killed and 96 injured nationwide, including a five-month-old infant in Odesa. Air defenses […]

Diesel and Refining Capacity Set to be the Inflationary Impact The Fed Can’t Control

September 12, 2026September 12, 2026 Clark Savage913

The Federal Reserve can raise rates. The Treasury can issue bills. Neither institution can weld a crude distillation unit back together after a drone strike, add inches to a California products pipeline, or refill Gatun Lake. That is the story of September 2026: crude is still findable; diesel is not. The constraint has moved downstream, […]

Chevron’s CEO Says The Oil Buffers Are Gone

September 12, 2026September 12, 2026 Clark Savage776

Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth delivered a blunt message in Austin on Friday: the shock absorbers that kept oil from exploding earlier in the Iran war are finished. Strategic stockpile releases and the U.S. decision to loosen rules on sanctioned crude sitting in floating storage have been “played out.” From here, he said, it […]

Both of Saudi Arabia’s choke points are in jeopardy at the same time.

September 11, 2026 Clark Savage665

What does this mean for the U.S. Diesel and Oil Markets? That is no longer a theoretical risk. With the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed to most traffic by the U.S.-Iran war and Houthi forces tightening their grip on Bab el-Mandeb, the kingdom’s last high-volume workaround—the East-West pipeline to Yanbu—is under fire. The combination […]

Saudi Arabia East-West Oil Pipeline Pump Station May Be Hit by Houthis

September 11, 2026September 11, 2026 Clark Savage979

Open-source satellite imagery and fire-detection data circulating Friday morning have raised the possibility that Yemen’s Houthis struck a pumping station on Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude pipeline, the kingdom’s main overland route around the Strait of Hormuz. The claim is serious. It is also, as of this writing, unconfirmed by Saudi Aramco and the Saudi government. […]

OPEC’s Output Has Slumped to Lowest Since 1990

September 10, 2026September 10, 2026 Clark Savage487

Saudi Arabia has told OPEC that its crude production collapsed again in August 2026, falling 1.9 million barrels per day to 6.238 million b/d—the lowest level the kingdom has reported since 1990, at the outset of the Gulf War. Riyadh attributed the drop to renewed U.S.–Iran hostilities that squeezed its export routes. That official communication, […]

WTI has crossed $100 as the market begins to price the scenario Goldman Sachs flagged months ago: not just a constrained Strait of Hormuz, but a simultaneous threat to the Red Sea exit that Saudi Arabia has used as its remaining seaborne outlet.

September 10, 2026September 10, 2026 Clark Savage877

Brent settled above $101 on Wednesday, September 9, and WTI followed through the $100 level on Thursday morning in a sharp rally. Physical benchmarks had already been there. Dated Brent has held above $100 since September 3. Murban, DME Oman, the OPEC basket, and the Indian basket were already trading over that threshold. Futures are […]

The Crude Truth: When Geopolitics Rewrites the Oil Market

September 10, 2026September 10, 2026 Clark Savage371

In early 2026, the global oil market experienced a seismic shift. When geopolitical tensions with Iran escalated, crude prices surged—and Texas responded. In this episode, economist Karr Ingham, oil producer Rey Trevino, and energy journalist Stu Turley break down how a single conflict triggered a cascade of market changes: rig counts climbing for the first […]

U.S. Destroys 5 IRGC Tankers After Iran Targets Another American Warship

September 9, 2026 Clark Savage371

U.S. Central Command forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on September 8 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. Navy warship twice in two days. The American vessel evaded both attacks and continued patrols with no personnel harmed. CENTCOM identified the targeted vessels as the M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, […]

Category: Geopolitical

Middle East Escalation Meets China’s Return: Dual Chokepoints, Record Tanker Rates, and an Upward Spiral in Crude and Products

Russia Hits Odesa Again as Black Sea Shipping Disrupted

Diesel and Refining Capacity Set to be the Inflationary Impact The Fed Can’t Control

Chevron’s CEO Says The Oil Buffers Are Gone

Both of Saudi Arabia’s choke points are in jeopardy at the same time.

Saudi Arabia East-West Oil Pipeline Pump Station May Be Hit by Houthis

OPEC’s Output Has Slumped to Lowest Since 1990

WTI has crossed $100 as the market begins to price the scenario Goldman Sachs flagged months ago: not just a constrained Strait of Hormuz, but a simultaneous threat to the Red Sea exit that Saudi Arabia has used as its remaining seaborne outlet.

The Crude Truth: When Geopolitics Rewrites the Oil Market

U.S. Destroys 5 IRGC Tankers After Iran Targets Another American Warship

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