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
National security officials fear White House reversal on Syria As a residual US troop presence arrives in Syria, some Donald Trump administration officials are worried that the president himself may once again reverse his decision to leave troops in the country. Syria
Saudi financial forum visit pays off for India Riyadh and New Delhi were productive during the Indian prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia last week. Saudi Arabia
Algeria’s hydrocarbon reform adds fuel to protest movement Algeria’s interim government claims to be undertaking economic reforms of the energy sector, but protesters see the effort as an attempt to shore up economic and diplomatic support heading into December presidential elections. Algeria
Draft law on hydrocarbons sparks another quarrel between regime, protest movement in Algeria The Algerian government recently approved a law to regularize the energy sector, which was rejected by protesters. Algeria
Syria looks to revitalize oil production to attract investors Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is tightening the regime's grip on oil fields with an eye toward their eventual rehabilitation. Syria
Pentagon weighs options to deter Russians in Syria After Russian forces in Syria appeared to be heading toward oil fields, the Pentagon proposed deploying tanks as a measure to guard the installations, a US official told Al-Monitor. Iraq
Trump administration scrambles to salvage US troop presence in Syria President Trump says he would leave some US troops in Syria to keep the Assad regime and Iranian forces away from oil fields; the Syrian Democratic Forces commander speaks with both Trump and the Russian army chief of staff. Iraq
Pentagon guardianship of Syrian oil fields faces pushback For days now, despite Turkish forces jeopardizing a fragile US-brokered cease-fire in northern Syria, President Donald Trump has insisted that American forces have secured oil fields liberated from the Islamic State. Syria
Does Egypt really have gas self-sufficiency? Despite the frequent announcements by Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek el-Mulla of achieving self-sufficiency in natural gas and halting imports, in addition to the completion of the phases of operation of Zohr field, Cairo's continued import of Israeli gas stirred confusion. Egypt
Will re-pricing natural gas cast positive shadow over Egypt's industry? The Egyptian government recently decided to amend prices of natural gas used in industries, subject to changes depending on world market prices. Egypt
Going it alone: Saudi Arabia’s economic realities after oil attacks The energy sector is Saudi Arabia's lifeline, but it is more often a honey pot of domestic spending than a resource for future development. Saudi Arabia
Kurdish leaders support Iraq's embattled prime minister The Iraqi Kurdistan government is trying to calm protesters' demands for the central government's prime minister to be removed. Iraq
