Fast English translations from selected Middle Eastern sources covering military developments, the Strait of Hormuz, oil supply, and market-moving events.
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BREAKING: Footage shows crews working to put out a fire on the US-owned floating platform in Egypt following a drone attack, with initial reports Iran struck it. https://t.co/sFpRt2nfSD
BREAKING: US commercial crude oil draw of –7.167M barrels this week, the largest in 6 weeks massively beating expectations of a +1M build, and inventories at lowest since 2018, per EIA. Including the SPR draw, the total US crude drop is roughly 11M barrels.
BREAKING: Yemen's Houthis are considering imposing fees on all commercial ships from any country sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with China's shipping fleet to be fully exempted from the fee system, per Reuters. Iranian officials discussed the fee plan with Houthi representatives during meetings in Iran this month.
BREAKING: A source close to Iran's Ghalibaf says Iran's ballistic missile wave and direct hit on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan tonight was a preemptive strike to neutralize the joint Trump-Netanyahu war plan being discussed at the White House today. The source adds Iran deceived the US using the ongoing Iran-Oman talks, with the US having thought Oman mediation had reduced Iranian threat and not anticipating this attack.
BREAKING: US oil prices surge more than 5% following Iran's ballistic missile wave and direct hit on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Iran says it is now "fully prepared for all-out war." https://t.co/2wmWLoOv4v
BREAKING: China has directly negotiated with Yemen's Houthis to enable Chinese tankers exclusive preferences for safe passage through the Bab el-Mandeb after the Houthi maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, with Chinese officials clearing each vessel individually with the Houthis and both sides informing Iran of their actions, per Reuters citing 6 sources including a senior Iranian official. At least 4 tankers have already loaded Saudi crude bound for China and transited the Bab el-Mandeb since the Houthi restrictions were announced. China is seeking to plug the supply gap caused by Iran's effective Hormuz closure by keeping oil exports flowing from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea terminals, principally Yanbu.
BREAKING: Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war state, and that no ceasefire, deal, or a resumption of war will change that, per Tasnim. Deputy FM Gharibabadi says the Strait is "part of Iran's national security and is a defensive capability for Iran. It is the new nuclear weapon for us." Gharibabadi also warns any European ship and warship approaching the Strait of Hormuz is a legitimate target for Iran.
BREAKING: Iran says contrary to Trump's claims, it has not made any requests for negotiations or ceasefire with the US in the past 17 days, with Deputy FM Gharibabadi saying instead the US has desperately requested dialogue with Iran and sent a message through Oman promising not to take military action against Iran, per Tasnim. Gharibabadi also reveals the Omanis wanted to bring in a country to clear mines from the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz but Iran rejected it.
BREAKING: New high-resolution satellite imagery shows major damage to the Abqaiq oil processing facility, the world's largest crude oil stabilization plant processing 7% of global oil supply, and a massive black plume of smoke rising following drone attacks, per Sentinel-2 imagery. Saudi Aramco has suspended all operations and triggered emergency flaring across multiple production sites.
BREAKING: A massive column of smoke is rising from Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility, the world's largest and the eastern hub of Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, with multiple impacts in the past few hours. With both ends of the East-West Pipeline now damaged and burning (Abqaiq in the east and Yanbu port infrastructure in the west), Saudi Arabia's Hormuz-bypass export strategy has now been cut.
BREAKING: Yemen's Houthis announce multiple drone strikes on several targets and sensitive points in the supply and transport of crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Yanbu port, in response to Saudi drones breaching Yemeni airspace, per Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree. This comes after today’s drone attacks on the Abqaiq oil refinery.
BREAKING: Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq refinery has been struck by drones, causing a massive fire at the facility and the East-West Pumping Station. NASA FIRMS satellite imagery confirms extensive fire activity at the site. Abqaiq is the world’s largest crude oil stabilization plant, processing 5-7% of global oil supply. Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran-backed resistance groups in Iraq for the attack, begun emergency flaring at multiple production sites, and says it reserves the right to respond.