On March 4, 2026, multiple Iranian Shahed-series drones penetrated Saudi air defenses and struck the US Embassy compound in Riyadh. Fire and explosions were reported from multiple embassy buildings. The US Ambassador was evacuated. This marks the first direct Iranian attack on a US diplomatic facility since the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis and represents a massive escalation of the conflict — Iran attacked a US target on Saudi soil.
The IRGC claimed the embassy strike as part of the 11th wave of 'Operation True Promise 4,' framing it as retaliation for the assassination of Supreme Leader Khamenei and the destruction of Iranian military infrastructure during Operation Epic Fury. Analysis suggests Saudi Patriot air defense systems intercepted roughly 60% of incoming drones, exposing a critical gap in Saudi Arabia's defenses.
Saudi Arabia immediately shut its largest oil refinery and deployed additional Patriot missile batteries. Crown Prince MBS convened an emergency national security council. The Kingdom recalled its ambassador from Tehran, closed Iranian diplomatic missions, and authorized US forces to use Saudi airspace and bases — decisively ending Saudi neutrality and killing the 2023 China-brokered normalization deal.
President Trump called the embassy bombing 'an act of war that will be answered' and said it is 'too late' for Iran to negotiate. The US Embassy in Riyadh simultaneously issued an alert warning of imminent Iranian strikes on Dhahran — Saudi Arabia's eastern energy hub hosting Aramco HQ, Abqaiq, and Ras Tanura. Brent crude surged past $90/bbl with analysts warning prices could reach $120 if Dhahran is hit.
The State Department ordered non-essential personnel to evacuate Saudi Arabia and issued a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory. NATO moved to its highest alert level. The Senate war powers vote is expected imminently. The embassy bombing has transformed the conflict from a targeted US-Israel operation against Iran into a region-wide war drawing in the world's largest oil exporter.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard calls Trump a 'deceitful American president', accuses him of 'contradictory behaviour'.
U. S.
US President Donald Trump says ‘there’s a very good chance of a deal’ to end the US-Israel war on Iran.
At the end of February, the Alberta government released its draft budget for the year, forecasting a deficit resulting from low oil prices, set to extend over the next three years. Now, Canada—and Alberta specifically—are about to become some of the big winners from the oil price rally resulting fr
Civilian targets have been struck by all three warring parties.
Senior Iranian officials deny that Iran held talks with the US
The once peaceful South American nation of Ecuador is being rocked by cocaine related violence. Since the 2020 pandemic, the tiny country’s murder rate has spiraled higher, hitting an all-time high of nearly 51 murders per 100,000 people during 2025.
After announcing the US will postpone strikes on Iran’s power plants, Donald Trump said Iran called him to make a deal.
Shortly before the war with Iran began, I wrote that the seeming complacency among government officials and financial market participants was based on two assumptions which I argued were unlikely to turn out to be true: 1) President Donald Trump would make a last-minute deal with the Iranians and de
“If we trust him, we lose.
The United States is the world’s biggest crude oil producer—it has been for years, and it has been pumping more than 13. 6 million barrels per day of oil for the past few months.
Iran parliament speaker says US president using idea of talks to 'escape quagmire in which US and Israel are trapped'.
Rerouting and diversification cannot help when a significant chunk of oil and gas have been taken off the market.
Strikes on gas sites in the Iran war are driving up energy costs, pushing up prices for power, food and more worldwide.
Chinese state oil giant Sinopec, Asia’s biggest refiner by capacity, will not buy Iranian oil even after the U. S.
Whilst most people will have seen the virtue of stopping Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons, many may now regard U. S.
Donald Trump's Strait of Hormuz deadline for Iran raises concerns about attacks on energy in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy.
President Donald Trump has spoken to reporters after announcing the US was postponing attacks targeting Iran’s energy.
Long before trade wars and tariffs, China secured manufacturing dominance by controlling rare earths - a reality so consequential that the United States and its allies are now pledging more than $8. 5 billion just to claw back some control of the supply chain.
The oil-driven inflation shock rippling through global markets is now forcing a sharp rethink of U. S.
The Strait of Hormuz, a 33-kilometer-wide chokepoint through which roughly a third of the world's seaborne oil passes, is effectively closed to normal commercial traffic. Iran has not blockaded the strait with a chain or a fleet.
Vessels posing as tankers that were sent for scrap years ago have appeared to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, in another example of how the Middle East war and the heavy signal interference in the region are affecting global shipping and energy flows. The vessel Nabiin, which was
Protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Madrid as sanctions pushed Cuba into an electricity blackout.
Esmaeil Baghaei denies the long-range missile attack, which could change the calculus of the war for US allies.
Locals in northern India have a growing concern over costs of essential resources due to the Iran war.
UK PM Keir Starmer says routine assessments conclude that the UK is not a target of Iran amid global tensions.
Brent crude is down more than 8% in the minutes following a statement by U. S.
Saudi Arabia is slashing its crude oil exports to Asia in April, for a second month in a row, as the de facto closed Strait of Hormuz is stranding most of the supply from the world’s top crude exporter. Saudi oil giant Aramco has notified customers of term supply in Asia that they would receive in
Iraq is increasingly caught between the US and Iran as the regional war escalates, deepening economic woes.
Threat to punish broadcasters for coverage not in 'public interest' comes amid wider roll-backs, analysts say.
Spokesman for the IRGC took jabs at US president Trump, mimicking his catchphrases and language.
Brent crude is seen averaging $85 per barrel this year, and West Texas Intermediate could see an average price of $79, Goldman Sachs commodity analysts said in a note released Sunday. They added that the supply loss from the crisis is going to peak at 17 million barrels daily.
Indian retail fuel prices are stable despite a surge in the oil basket price to over $155 per barrel, the Hindustan Times reported today, citing energy industry executives. The Indian oil basket settled at $156.
Oil prices opened the week elevated but stable in early Asian trading on Monday, holding near multi-year highs after another weekend of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. At the time of writing, WTI crude was trading at $98.
Trump faces a simple but difficult choice: Iran’s enriched uranium still needs to be secured, and airstrikes haven’t accomplished that. The only clear way to control it would likely require U.
Real stay within four points of league leaders Barcelona with hard-fought win in Madrid derby.
Trump, who cut off oil supplies to Cuba after abducting Venezuela's Maduro, has threatened to take over the nation.
With US-Ukraine talks set to resume in Florida, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns Russia is increasing its oil revenues.
Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to back US strikes on Iran’s power grid if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian attacks on Arad and Dimona near Israeli nuclear site raise serious questions about Israel's defence strategy.
Iran says it launched multiple ballistic missile and drone strikes, targeting bases across Israel, UAE, and Kuwait.
Iranians are concerned about the impact of potential attacks on power plants as the scope of US-Israel war expands.
Since coming into office last January, United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised renewable energy for hindering the country’s energy security and being a “green new scam”. Trump quickly introduced several executive orders aimed at ramping up fossil fuel output and restricting r
With the war in its fourth week, the Trump administration sends contradictory messages on how to proceed.
Under the guise of preserving secularism, this law allows the exclusion of people based on their religious identity.
Iran warns of 'irreversibly' destroying vital infrastructure across region after Trump threatens to bomb power plants.
Hezbollah has been launching attacks in response to US-Israel war on Iran as more Israeli troops enter southern Lebanon.
UK condemns what it says is Iranian attack on airbase in Indian Ocean, but Tehran denies it carried out the launches.
Latin American leaders met at the CELAC Summit in Colombia where President Petro called for a Middle East ceasefire.
David Owiro says that African countries are particularly vulnerable to the economic consequences of the Iran war.
It was the first time Iranian missiles had penetrated Israeli air defence systems in the area around a key nuclear site.
Israel’s air defence system failed to stop at least two Iranian missile strikes on southern Israel.
The Yemeni armed group says all options are on the table.
Iran responds to Trump's threat by saying all US energy infrastructure in the region will be targeted if it is attacked.
Donald Trump threatens to 'obliterate' Iran's power plants if it fails to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
The left-wing Brazilian president is critical of US actions throughout Latin America, though he does not name Trump.
Move follows attack on Red Sea port of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia's main oil export outlet, after Iran blocked Hormuz Strait.
Iran targets Dimona and Arad, injuring nearly 100, in retaliation for an attack on its Natanz nuclear site.
Joe Kent says he resigned as director of the US National Counterterrorism Center over opposition to the war in Iran.
War, which saw Iran attack Qatar facility, has caused 'high, volatile' gas prices that could hit EU storage projections.
Meeting the runaway energy demand of the artificial intelligence boom will require energy buildout and innovation at an unprecedented scale. After decades of plateaued energy growth in the United States, the breakneck expansion of energy-hungry data centers across the nation is pushing the public a
Eid al-Fitr prayers were held in Tehran after overnight air strikes on the capital.
Bahrain's account differs from how the US military described the March 9 incident, which led to civilian injuries.
The Iran war revealed how dependent Israel’s Arab neighbours are on its gas exports.
The UK says Iran launched ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.
The dominant narrative over the last two years in global gas markets has been one of impending abundance; everyone was warning of an upcoming LNG tsunami. Market analysts kept pointing to a wave of new LNG supply, mainly driven by expansions in Qatar, the United States, Canada, and parts of Africa.
The fate of an Iranian woman caught in a US-Israeli bomb attack is unknown, after video emerged of her filming it.
No leakage of radioactive materials reported in the area in central Iran, Tehran's atomic energy organisation says.
From Washington to Tehran to Tel Aviv, the fight to control the narrative seems as critical as the war itself.
Japan sources 90 percent of its crude from Middle East and is heavily dependent on exports transiting the key waterway.
Millions of people have rung in the ancient Persian New Year, Nowruz, as war grips the Middle East.
Trump says Strait of Hormuz must be protected from Iranian attacks 'by other nations who use it'.
In his ruling, Judge Paul Friedman ruled the Trump administration sought to force out 'disfavoured journalists'.
The stock market spent the first week of the Iran war doing something strange: mostly shrugging. Oil spiked.
Indian textile workers are returning home after days without cooking gas, as an LPG crisis linked to the Iran war.
The US is moving military assets to the Middle East that are key to providing support for ground troop operations.
At least 15 people have been killed by attacks in Israel since the war on Iran started late last month.
In an initial statement, the US military said three people survived the strike but did not offer additional details.
Europe is under pressure as Trump pushes allies to support the Iran war. How are they responding?
Oil and gas facilities in the Gulf have been attacked since early in the war on Iran.
QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi says he warned US of 'consequences' of attacking Iranian energy infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump said that Iranian leaders are “all gone” and that the White House has “nobody left to talk to.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says request made on February 26, two days before US and Israel launched war on Iran.
Arend Kapteyn, the global head of economics and strategy research and chief economist at UBS, told clients that one key reason the current Middle East conflict-driven energy shock "is not like 2011-2014" will be the absence of a comparable response from the shale patch, suggesting consumers are more
Residents of Tehran exchange new year's wishes as US and Israeli attacks continue through the spring equinox.
An explosion struck Jerusalem’s Old City seconds after sirens warned of an incoming Iranian missile.
The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, bringing the total rig count in the US to 552 this week, down 41 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs rose by 2 to 414 d
Oil prices pulled back Friday, but not because the market suddenly feels safe. This is more of a tactical breather than a trend change.
Amid the Iranian war and oil price crisis, the Department of Energy, alongside the Department of Commerce, has unveiled a public-private partnership with SoftBank and AEP Ohio that centers on one thing the AI boom desperately needs but rarely talks about plainly—power. Not theoretical power.
As the world braces for a potential “Battle of Hormuz” to reopen the world’s most important energy chokepoint, governments and energy markets are scrambling to answer a daunting question: What happens if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for weeks or even months? The narrow waterway between Iran an
Refiners in Asia are paying huge premiums for crude that could replace some of the supply stuck in the Middle East, with the most suitable grades from Norway and the U. S.
Move comes as Swiss government also closed its airspace to US military flights directly linked to the Iran war.
Oil is heading for a fifth straight weekly gain, with Brent near $109, as the Strait of Hormuz remains shut for a third week, keeping supply tight despite policy efforts to ease the market. Friday, March 20, 2026 Oil markets are set to post their fifth consecutive weekly gain (excepting WTI which w
The US says it is considering removing sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea.
The price of Russian Urals has soared in recent weeks. How Russia - and other energy producing nations - could profit.
When Israeli jets struck the South Pars gas complex near Asaluyeh, they hit more than pipes and compressors. They struck the single piece of infrastructure most essential to Iran's ability to function -- a field that provides 75 percent of Iran's domestic gas supply and powers roughly 80
Experts say while Gulf states need support in face of Iranian attacks, it is less clear what their allies can provide.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency has released military video said to show air defence systems hitting a US F-35.
Cuba is set to soon receive two Russian cargoes of crude and diesel amid the U. S.
Israeli and US air attacks pound Iran as assassination campaign of country's leadership continues.
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Everything is about leverage. Hormuz is no longer the only story as the White House loses control of its version of the narrative.
Women's Asian Cup hosts Australia face criticism for the political tug of war over the Iranian women's football team.
Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by Iranian drones early on Friday in attacks that caused a fire in several units at the facility, as the war in the Middle East shows no signs of de-escalation despite the most recent U. S.
Qatar’s state firm QatarEnergy expects the damage to the Ras Laffan LNG complex, the world’s single largest LNG-producing facility, to cost it about $20 billion per year in lost revenue and to take up to five years to repair. The Iranian missile attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC)
Lloyd's List reports that ships could be allowed to pass through 'safe corridor' once they are approved by IRGC.
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