Oil surges past $120 to war-time high as Trump rejects Iran overture Benchmark Brent crude surpassed $120 per barrel on Wednesday, reaching the highest levels yet seen during the US-Israel-Iran war. Iran
Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows The Turkish energy minister said the country's oil and natural gas pipeline operator, BOTAS, has started the engineering work for the pipeline. Turkey
Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil. United Arab Emirates
Israel to begin exporting gas to Egypt next month In just a few weeks, Egypt should be receiving natural gas from Israel's Leviathan field. Egypt
Pressure mounts against importing Israeli gas to Jordan While Jordan is expected to start receiving natural gas from Israel in a matter of weeks, demands that the government cancel the deal are growing. Israel
PA turns to Russia in a bid to break from US sponsorship As part of its efforts to economically disengage from Israel, the Palestinian Authority seeks to establish bilateral relations with Russia in the energy field. Palestine
What is the fate of Baghdad-Erbil’s oil-for-budget agreement amid ongoing protests? Iraqi political sides vow to block a recent oil-for-budget agreement by Iraq’s caretaker government with the Kurdistan region. Iraq
Democratic leader pours cold water on Tulsi Gabbard’s bid to force Syria withdrawal The House’s No. 2 Democrat dealt a major blow to Tulsi Gabbard’s effort to force President Donald Trump to pull the remaining US troops out of Syria. Syria
Turkey sees greater partnership with Qatar than is apparent Turkey's commercial gains from its partnership with Qatar have been modest and the media fanfare over fresh bilateral accords is hard to comprehend. Saudi Arabia
Will Iran’s 50% gas price hike pay off for the economy? Iran’s cutbacks on gas subsidies must be accompanied by a crackdown on corruption if they are to yield real benefits for the government. Iran
Smuggling crackdown highlights resilience of northeast Syria’s oil trade Despite a joint Kurdish-US crackdown against oil smugglers from northeast Syria toward government-controlled territories, trade continues. Syria
Can EU's fear of terrorists give Turkey clout in ocean drilling? Following his threats to flood Europe with Syrian refugees, the Turkish president is now trying to use Islamic State suspects as leverage. Syria
Egypt conducts joint drills with Greece, Cyprus amid Turkey tensions The naval forces of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus conducted joint military exercises in the Mediterranean amid tensions with Turkey over its drilling activities in the area. Egypt
Iran plans to wean budget off oil income by next year Iranian officials say the country will kick its dependence on oil revenues by next year, using them only for development projects and to acquire capital assets. Iran
Syrian Kurds OK US-led oil mission The commander of the Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces has signed off to help the Donald Trump administration protect the war-torn country’s oil fields, even amid an ongoing Turkish incursion the group has lobbied the United States to stop. Syria
