Tag: U.S. sanctions

May 28, 2020

The delivery of five cargoes of gasoline from Iran to Venezuela is certainly a major act in the theater of the absurd (or perhaps macabre) that is the government of Venezuela. The two countries have formed an alliance partly based […]

January 28, 2020

There is simply no sanctuary for Iran’s state run oil industry. China has all but abandoned it because of U.S. sanctions. France will be hard pressed to do business with them due to the extraterritorial nature of the Iranian sanctions, […]

August 15, 2019

Saudi Arabia has seriously ramped up its oil exports to China in recent months. How dramatic is the change? Take a look at this graph, which uses data from oil tanker tracking firm TankerTrackers.com. The Saudi Kingdom’s crude shipments to […]

May 2, 2019

Venezuela’s political and humanitarian crisis remains fluid with President Nicolas Maduro clinging to power amid protests led by opposition leader Juan Guaido. Street protests are expected to continue Thursday with Guaido telling thousands of supporters yesterday that “there’s no turning […]

December 12, 2018

It’s been a very volatile year for oil prices. 2018 was marked with some of the highest prices that market has seen in almost four years, but also some of the largest single-day drops. Geopolitical concerns, financial moves and supply […]

November 9, 2018

So, U.S. sanctions on Iran were fully implemented on Monday, fully but not completely, rather as Miracle Max in “The Princess Bride” says “mostly dead is a little alive.” Waivers were granted to eight major customers of Iran that will […]

November 2, 2018

The oil market faces a precarious few months. The imposition of U.S. secondary sanctions on Iranian exports on November 5 is the critical factor behind Brent’s rally to more than U.S.$80 a barrel in October. There’s enough supply to meet […]

November 1, 2018

With U.S. sanctions on Iran coming next week, oil remains the talk of the energy world. And that makes sense: oil is the engine of global economic growth, supplying 35% of all energy used. One of the great misconceptions today […]

September 11, 2018

U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy industry, when they come into effect in November, could potentially drive oil prices above $100 per barrel, according to an industry expert. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures traded at about $68 per barrel […]

August 30, 2018

The summer driving season will end much like it began, with American motorists paying the highest price at the gasoline pump in four years. Gas prices have barely budged this summer, with the national average for regular gasoline hovering around […]

August 29, 2018

U.S. policy to deny Iran oil revenue is an existential threat to the survival of the Islamic Republic. And Washington is doing it through a Reagan-like economic warfare toolbox. Iran’s oil exports are down sharply since the beginning of August […]

July 10, 2018

If President Donald Trump is not the most significant player in global oil markets today, he’s at least its biggest wild card. Tweets savaging OPEC, U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, and a precarious trade policy that threatens the health […]

July 5, 2018

After experiencing a period of unusual predictability and calm throughout 2017 and the first half of 2018, the global oil markets are once again becoming increasingly unstable and volatile. What I’ve always called the “fear premium” in crude prices has […]

May 22, 2018

Oil prices have climbed in recent weeks, but whether that rise will continue for longer could be in doubt. “On a 12-month basis, which is the horizon we take, we think we’re more likely to be in sort of a […]