Oil and gas

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

Brent crude prices briefly jumped back above $80 per barrel on Wednesday as traders digested conflicting signals about efforts to end the war and reopen Hormuz.

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

3 Iranian tankers with 4.8M barrels of oil pass US blockade: What to know

At least three US-sanctioned Iranian-flagged tankers have exited the Gulf of Oman as the Trump administration eyes Tehran's moves ahead of sanctions waivers expected to begin Friday.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

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)

Exclusive

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.

Latest News

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

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.

Explainer

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

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

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

A color guard holds Saudi Arabia's flag while waiting for Saudi Vice Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman arrival for an honor cordon at the Pentagon August 29, 2019, in Washington, DC.

Is Saudi defense reform a win-win for Washington and Riyadh?

The US should consider a shift from arms sales to supporting Saudi defense industry reform and expansion.

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks during the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference.

The Takeaway: Iran nuclear talks resume next week — What you need to know

Turkish lira crisis hits Syria; Saudi, Syrian intel chiefs talk; Netflix drama evokes memories for Izmir’s Jews; Oman bets on logistics; Egypt, Tanzania deepen ties; Gaza’s women skateboarders — all in less than 1,500 words.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Joe Snell

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn , Joe Snell

A cargo ship cruises towards the Strait of Hormuz off the shores of Khasab in Oman on Jan. 15, 2011.

Oman invests in ports with eye to becoming Gulf gateway

Oman is betting on strategically located ports and container terminals to expand its logistics sector, hoping to serve as a prime gateway to Gulf markets.

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) and Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides.

UAE foreign minister visits Cyprus

The UAE has grown closer to Cyprus on energy and defense issues.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

This picture taken on June 15, 2019, shows tanker ships in the waters of the Gulf of Oman.

Iran claims it stopped US from seizing oil tanker

Iran said the US had attempted to steal an Iranian ship carrying oil but was thwarted by the Iranian military.

Refinery

Egypt aims for petroleum self-sufficiency

Egypt is moving forward to produce sufficient fuel to cover its needs, taking advantage of its new projects and development operations in the oil sector, bringing the country closer to achieving self-sufficiency in petroleum products by 2023.

Gasoline prices are displayed in Turkish lira at a gas station in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on June 15, 2020.

Protests break out in Syrian city controlled by jihadist faction

Protests erupted in Idlib against the Syrian Salvation Government, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, amid high inflation and deteriorating living conditions.

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

Saudi Aramco close to retaking Apple as most valuable global company

The recent surge in oil prices has lifted Aramco from the low point of its valuation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Out of Use" signs are displayed on the fuel pumps at a filling station in Baker Street, central London, on Oct. 2, 2021.

Oil minister says Iran capable of resolving global fuel ‘crisis’

Iran’s oil minister said if sanctions targeting his country’s lifeline crude are lifted, the Islamic Republic will have every capability to tackle the world’s energy supply shortages.

Iranian tanker arrives in Lebanon

Hezbollah announces arrival of second Iranian fuel delivery

The shipment could help Lebanon grapple with its worsening fuel crisis and also again defies US sanctions on Iran.

Tankers carrying Iranian fuel arrive from Syria at al-Ain in Hermel in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Sept. 16, 2021.

Lebanon raises fuel prices again

The Lebanese government previously subsidized fuel prices amid the country's worsening economic crisis.

MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s natural gas wealth fund disappoints

Despite grand promises that billions of dollars would pour into Israel's sovereign wealth fund from maritime natural gas fields, little money has arrived.