Oil and gas

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on February 9, 2026. (Photo by Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

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US firm HKN Energy takes over 7 oil fields from Syria's Kurds

HKN Energy has begun operating seven oil fields under a 25-year agreement with Damascus, marking the first major production-sharing deal between Syria's new government and an international oil company.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Explainer

US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 349.2 million barrels amid the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran.

A long convoys of Iraqi diesel-laden tanker trucks line up along the highway Tartus-Baniyas highway as they wait to unload their cargo at the Baniyas port refinery on the Mediterranean Sea, on April 15, 2026.

Syria says Iraqi oil shipments surge as Damascus courts foreign energy investment

Speaking at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Washington on Tuesday, Syrian Petroleum Company CEO Yousef Qiblawy said Iraq's overland oil exports through Syria have expanded rapidly in recent months.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/06/will-pashinyans-victory-armenia-be-enough-unlock-peace-turkey-azerbaijan

Explainer

Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez meets Erdogan in surprise Turkey visit: What to know

Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez visited Turkey as part of Caracas' post-Maduro diplomatic outreach, seeking to deepen ties with Ankara in energy, trade and mining despite the continued constraints of remaining US sanctions.

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Algeria begins work on Trans-Saharan gas pipeline to Europe

BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP via Getty Images

Oman denies disruption at key oil hub after reported drone attack

AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

How Iran war created unexpected economic beneficiaries

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

After Gulf attacks, Rubio faces pushback on 'war is over' claim

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on June 03, 2026, in Washington. The hearing was held to examine the State Department's budget request for fiscal year 2027.

China's President Xi Jinping (R) greeted by the Governor of Riyadh province Prince Faisal bin Bandar al-Saud (L) at King Khalid International Airport

Analysis

The Takeaway: Xi's Saudi Arabia trip sends a message to US

Plus, the Biden administration gears up for next week’s summit of African leaders and warns that Iran is still fueling Yemen’s war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

A worker carries an empty Petronas gas cylinder on his shoulder at a shop in Ampang, in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb. 29, 2016.

Malaysia’s Petronas to explore for 'unconventional oil' in Abu Dhabi

Unconventional oil, which is extracted via relatively complex methods, is found in the Western Hemisphere and Russia. Abu Dhabi is also seeking to extract some after successfully obtaining unconventional gas.

China's President Xi Jinping attends the 29th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on Nov. 19, 2022.

China’s Xi heads to Saudi Arabia, adding strain to US ties

Xi's visit to Saudi, the first in six years, will include two summits with Arab and GCC leaders and could see an agreement on nuclear technology

OPEC+ decision to maintain production marks end of oil’s turbulent year

The Saudi- and Russian-led cartel has both increased and decreased oil production this year, affecting global oil prices and relations with the United States in the process.

YOUSSEF KARWASHAN/AFP via Getty Images

International oil assets reported hit as Turkey strikes Syria's Kurdish zone

Turkey’s wave of air attacks against Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria have reportedly hit oil assets run by international oil companies.

Iraqi Aqeel Hassan, one of the owners of private electric generators.

Iran, Iraq sign $4 billion engineering agreement

The deal comes at a notable time in Iran-Iraq relations, as the Islamic Republic continues to threaten and attack Kurdish groups in Iraq.

A picture taken on Nov. 3, 2019, shows a sign of Saudi Aramco's initial public offering.

Saudi Arabia announces new natural gas discoveries

The kingdom is already a major oil exporter, but it could also start exporting natural gas in the near future.

Saad Sherida al-Kaabi (R), Qatar's energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Ryan Lance (L), CEO of multinational corporation ConocoPhillips, exchange documents during a press conference announcing a new deal, Doha, Qatar, Nov. 29, 2022.

Qatar signs deal to sell Germany natural gas

The agreement demonstrates the continued significance of Qatar's natural gas, despite pressure to transition to renewable energy.

A general view of Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing plant on September 20, 2019.

The Gulf Briefing: swapping petrodollars for assets

In this weekly newsletter, Sebastian Castelier rounds up the biggest stories from the Gulf region.

AFP via Getty Images

US urges Iran-backed Houthis to halt attacks on Yemen's ports

The warning to the Houthis comes as US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking returns to the region to push for peace between the country's warring sides.

Traders follow the movement of stock prices at the Boursa Kuwait (Kuwait Stock Exchange) in Kuwait City on March 2, 2022.

Kuwait benefits from oil price boom but long-term economic challenges loom

Key reforms and a lack of a diversified economy remain only two of Kuwait's major challenges.

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Israel agrees for Qatar to drill in Lebanese maritime gas field

After agreeing for TotalEnergies and Eni to go ahead with exploration drilling at the Lebanese cross-border Kana-Sidon reservoir, Israel has approved the Qatari Energy Consortium to buy the drilling rights.