Oil prices rose as much as 3% on Thursday after Iran attacked several energy facilities across the Middle East following a strike on its South Pars gas field. Dwayne Schnell | 500px Plus | Getty Images U.S. oil prices extended their decline after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington may soon lift sanctions on Iranian crude…
WASHINGTON — Before Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi departed for Washington, she told her nation’s lawmakers that her Oval Office meeting with President Trump on Thursday would be “very difficult.” Actually, it was awkward. After a reporter questioned Trump about not warning Japan before launching his “surprise” offensive in Iran, Trump said that surprise was the point….
Iranian attacks on oil and gas facilities around the Persian Gulf on Thursday posed new threats to global energy supplies, as President Trump rebuked Israel for striking a key Iranian gas field, and other nations voiced growing fears that the conflict was escalating. Saudi Arabia said it might respond with force if Iran continues to…
FILE PHOTO: QatarEnergy’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. Stringer | Reuters Oil and gas prices rose sharply on Thursday as strikes on key energy infrastructure in the Middle East exacerbated fears of a global supply crunch. Qatar said Wednesday…
Europe’s sovereign bonds are facing “a perfect storm” after new inflation fears sparked by the Iran conflict forced the region’s central banks to signal a new course for interest rates on Thursday, sending yields soaring. The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at 3.75% on Thursday, with the European Central Bank also holding steady…
Topline Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t deny Thursday that the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funding for the war in Iran, telling lawmakers the figure “could move,” teeing up a potential partisan battle in Congress as the war has become increasingly complex and politically risky for President Donald Trump. Secretary of War Pete…
European companies that import semiconductors from Asia are tapping into backup stores and paying more for deliveries as the Iran war causes disruption to air freight routes through the Middle East, industry insiders have told CNBC. The Iran war has caused turmoil to cargo routes as shipping and airports have been targeted since the war…
The UAE said Wednesday that its air defense forces intercepted 13 ballistic missiles and 27 drones launched from Iran. The defense ministry said that since the start of the Iran war, its air defenses have intercepted 1,699 drones, 327 ballistic missiles and 15 cruise missiles. “These attacks have resulted in the deaths of two UAE…
Conflicts in West Asia and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz may seem far removed from India’s agricultural landscape. In fact, these events have disrupted India’s energy systems and is hurting the country’s agriculture sector in multiple ways. India’s dependence on crude oil imports in 2023-24 was a staggering 87.7 per cent. This makes…
An Iranian security personnel monitors an area in phase 19 of the South Pars gas field in Assalooyeh on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast 1,400 km (870 miles) south of Tehran on August 23, 2016. Morteza Nikoubazl | Nurphoto | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday stateside warned that if Iran continued targeting Qatar’s…