War News

BIMCO’s Jakob Larsen, Chief Safety & Security Officer, warns of a potential scam from parties claiming to be Iranian authorities and demanding toll:“BIMCO has received reports of an email scam, but we are still awaiting confirmation that this was in fact a scam. The fact that ships were attacked following apparent Iranian approval to transit underscores the complexity and volatility of the current security situation.”Iran is blockading the Strait of Hormuz against what they perceive as hostile ships.

The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday.Washington has imposed a blockade on Iran's trade by sea while Iran has fired on ships to prevent them sailing through the Strait of Hormuz waterway at the entrance to the Middle East Gulf. Nearly two months after the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran…

At least three container ships were hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, maritime security sources and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.Iran has imposed restrictions on ships using the strait, first in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli bombardment of the country, and then in response to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.A Liberia-flagged container ship sustained damage to its bridge after being hit by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades northeast of Oman.The UKMTO said the master of the vessel reported being approached by an IRGC gunboat.

TUI Cruises said on Sunday that its Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.In a statement posted on its website, the company said it had obtained approvals from relevant authorities, under careful consideration of the security situation.It said the ships would now proceed swiftly to the Mediterranean Sea.The cruise operator said that all passengers had previously been brought home and both ships were operating with reduced crews.

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region likewise appeared to be on shaky ground, as Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the U.S. had hoped to kick off before the ceasefire expires on Tuesday.The U.S. has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports…

Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of proposals it has offered in negotiations with the United States, providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said.The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has resulted in the largest-ever disruption of global oil and gas supplies due to Iran's interruption of traffic through the strait, which handles about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows.Hundreds of tankers ‌and other ships and 20…

The U.S. military on Monday detailed the boundaries of its Strait of Hormuz blockade, saying it would extend east to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, while ship-tracking data showed two ships turned around in the strait as the blockade went into effect.In a note to seafarers about the blockade that seeks to take control of the strait away from Iran, the U.S. Central Command said: "Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception…

President Donald Trump said on Sunday the U.S. Navy would start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after marathon talks with Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war, jeopardizing a fragile two-week ceasefire.The U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces would begin implementing the blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Monday.It would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday about the need for a plan to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz "as quickly as possible," following a U.S. ceasefire with Iran, Downing Street said.Starmer discussed with Trump the UK's efforts to convene partners to agree to a "viable plan" on restoring freedom of navigation in the waterway."They agreed that now there is a ceasefire in place and agreement to open the Strait, we are at the next stage of finding a resolution…

Oil prices rose on Thursday as doubts over a fragile two-week Middle East ceasefire raised concerns that energy flows through the crucial Strait of Hormuz will remain restricted.Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up $2.18, or 2.3%, at $96.93 a barrel at 0645 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 rose $3, or 3.18%, to $97.41 a barrel.Both benchmarks fell below $100 per barrel in the previous trading session, with WTI recording its biggest decline since April 2020…

China and Russia on Tuesday vetoed a U.N. resolution encouraging states to coordinate efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the measure biased against Iran, while Washington's ambassador to the world body called on "responsible nations" to join the U.S. in securing the waterway.The 15-member Security Council voted 11 in favor of the resolution presented by Bahrain, with two against - China and Russia - and two abstentions.U.S. President Donald…

Global stocks wavered on Tuesday, while oil prices were perched above $110 per barrel as the prospect of escalation in the war in the Middle East and the looming deadline for a deal to be reached kept nervy investors on the sidelines.Markets have been rattled since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran broke out at the end of February, with Tehran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit chokepoint that has spurred inflation worries.While investors have pinned their hopes on a resolution to the war, the talks so far have yielded no progress, with U.S.

The current oil and gas crisis triggered by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is "more serious than the ones in 1973, 1979 and 2022 together", Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told Le Figaro newspaper."The world has never experienced a disruption to energy supply of such magnitude," he said in an interview with the French newspaper released in its Tuesday edition.He said the European countries, as well Japan, Australia and others will suffer, but the countries most at risk were developing nations which will suffer from higher oil and gas prices…

U.S. President Donald Trump's move allowing foreign-flagged cargo ships to move fuel and other goods between domestic ports has so far had little impact on American oil supply, according to trade data and analysts who noted that U.S. refiners and shippers are earning more profits sending fuel overseas.Last month, Trump waived Jones Act limitations for 60 days starting March 17, hoping the move would help tame the surge in fuel prices caused by the Iran war by increasing shipments from the U.S.

Two vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Ras Laffan, Qatar, turned back after they moved eastward towards the Strait of Hormuz, ship-tracking data showed on Monday.Had the vessels successfully crossed the strait, it would have been the first transit of LNG cargoes through the waterway since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.Data from analytics firms Kpler and LSEG showed the vessels, Al Daayen and Rasheeda, loaded their cargoes in late February.

Indian refiners have purchased Iranian oil amid the Middle East conflict that has disrupted supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, the oil ministry said on Saturday.The world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, India has not received a cargo from Tehran since May 2019, following U.S. pressure not to buy Iranian crude, but supply disruptions from the U.S.-Israel war have hit the South Asian nation hard."Amid Middle East supply disruptions, Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements…

Five European Union countries are calling for a windfall tax on energy companies' profits in reaction to rising fuel prices due to the Iran war, according to a letter from finance ministers to the EU Commission seen by Reuters on Saturday.The finance ministers of Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Austria made the joint call for an EU-wide tax in a letter dated Friday. Such a measure could help fund relief for consumers in the face of high energy prices and be a signal that "we stand united and are able to take action"…

Oil prices were little changed in choppy trade on Monday, as investors awaited clarity on the status of talks between the U.S. and Iran even as they remained wary about sustained supply losses due to shipping disruptions.Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose 76 cents, or 0.7%, to $109.79 a barrel at 0656 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 futures were trading 53 cents, or 0.5% lower, at $111.01 per barrel.The pricing moves in Asia trading on Monday were dwarfed by an 11% surge for WTI and an 8% rise for Brent during the previous trading session on Thursday…

An oil tanker loaded with Iraqi crude passed through the Strait of Hormuz close to the Iranian coast, a day after Iran said Iraq was exempt from any restrictions to transit the vital sea route, data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The Ocean Thunder loaded about 1 million barrels of Basrah Heavy crude on March 2 and is expected to discharge its cargo in Malaysia's Pengerang, in mid-April, Kpler data showed.The tanker - which the data showed was chartered by Petco, a unit of Malaysian state energy firm Petronas - is among seven Malaysia-linked vessels cleared by Iran to transit the strait…

A cargo ship carrying wheat sank in the Sea of Azov after coming under attack from Ukrainian drones, a Russia-installed official said on Sunday, leaving one person dead and two missing.Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-installed leader of the Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Kherson region, said the attack occurred on Friday but crew members were unable to make known what had happened to them until Sunday."It became known that the reason for the sinking of the Volgo-Balt in the Sea of Azov was a terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime…

Oil supply disruptions from the Middle East will rise in April and begin to impact Europe's economy as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz severely curbs supplies, International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol said on Wednesday.More than 12 million barrels of oil have been lost since the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran due to Tehran's attacks on energy assets in the region and restrictions on shipping through the Strait, he added."The loss of oil in April will be twice the oil loss in March, on top of the loss of LNG...

The Philippines has received an assurance from Iran that it will allow the safe passage of Philippine-flagged vessels, fuel and Filipino seafarers through the Strait of Hormuz, Manila's foreign ministry said on Thursday.The assurance came after Philippine foreign minister Ma.

Oil prices climbed nearly 7% on Thursday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would continue attacks on Iran, stoking fears of prolonged disruptions to oil supply.Brent crude futures LCOc1were up $7.65, or 7.6%, to $108.81 per barrel at 0902 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 futures were up $7.06, or 7.1%, at $107.18 per barrel.Both benchmarks were heading for the biggest daily gains, in both absolute and percentage terms, in three weeks, though they remained…