







Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are urging Washington to maintain sanctions and its naval blockade of Iran, complicating efforts to restart peace talks as attacks threaten their oil exports, The Wall Street Journal reported.
France to Send Soldiers to Saudi Arabia to Help Secure Energy Sites
Attacks on Saudi cities on the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen have added to pressure on global oil supplies.

Trump gifts Saudi Arabia a nuclear win | Politics Weekly America
Donald Trump has announced a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia while pressing ahead with efforts to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. What’s driving Trump’s new agreement with Riyadh? And how is it likely to be received at home and across the Gulf?

Baghdad confirms attack on Saudi pipeline came from Iraq
Saudi Arabia has said it will not retaliate and wants Iraq to "take the necessary measures." Baghdad is under pressure from the United States to rein in Iran-backed militias.

Trump rejects Iran's conditional ceasefire proposal, WSJ reports, as Saudi coalition intercepts projectiles
Trump expects renewed U.S. bombing of Iran after the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reports, as Saudi-backed forces intercept projectiles.

The Blockade Made the News for Working. The Casualties It Cost Took Two Weeks to Surface.
Saturday, Trump put his private rejection of Iran's Hormuz plan on the record. Sunday, Iran skipped Washington and went to Riyadh instead. Monday, two things...

Isolated by Iran and Yemeni Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia seeks US backing
With Tehran-allied rebels seizing control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean on Thursday, and Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the kingdom is at risk of losing all maritime access for its oil tankers.
Saudi's MBS dialled Trump, warplanes were readied to hit Houthis. Then, a U-turn
Donald Trump held back from joining Saudi-led strikes on Yemen's Houthis after a personal appeal from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and days of internal wavering. The pause exposed the tension between avoiding a wider Iran-linked conflict and preserving Saudi support for Washington's regional strategy.

Trump Said No on the Record. Iran Didn't Wait for a Yes — It Went to Riyadh Instead.
In yesterday's piece I flagged a WSJ report, sourced to unnamed US officials, that Trump had privately rejected Iran's seven-day Hormuz plan. I called it what...

Yemen's Houthis seize strategic Red Sea port of Mokha
Mokha's capture brings the Iran-backed group closer to controlling a key international shipping route.

A War for Oil: Economist Michael Hudson on U.S. Quest to Control the World's Oil Trade
Asia scrambles to confront energy crisis unleashed by Iran war – with no end in sight
From fuel caps to four-day work weeks, the Middle East conflict has left the world’s top crude oil importing region desperate to shore up supplies

Trump scoffs at Iran’s demand for war reparations and other Mideast developments
U.S. President Donald Trump is scoffing at Iran's demands that the U.S. pay for devastation caused by five months of war.
U.S. fires a new wave of strikes on Iran and hits a tanker trying to skirt its blockade
The U.S. and Iran traded fire for the sixth consecutive day on Thursday with U.S. strikes targeting Iranian command centers and missile sites, and Iran targeting U.S. military bases in Gulf countries, as both sides intensified attacks over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent at $108: Gulf States Halt Hormuz Talks as Houthis Strike Saudi Airbase | OilPrice.com
Gulf states postponed Hormuz talks as Houthis struck a Saudi airbase and Brent hit $108 amid a pipeline outage threatening 4% of global oil supply.

US strikes 'dozens of targets' in Iran as war threatens to engulf Middle East
America's military strikes "dozens" of Revolutionary Guard targets across Iran, as the spread of hostilities to Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia threatens to plunge the rest of the Middle East into all-out conflict.
Seven Months In, Iran and the US Actually Talked. The Oil Market Believed It.
Seventh piece in a series that started with Mokha falling on 09-11. Previous: The Strait Fell, and Riyadh Called Washington → Both Banks, and Now Iran's Own...
