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Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, accused the U.S. of violating a ceasefire by firing at one of Iran's commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman, vowing to retaliate. State media quoted a Khatam al-Anbiya spokesperson as saying early on Monday that the vessel was en route from China to Iran. "We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the U.S. military," the spokesperson said. (Reporting by [Read more]

Iran’s armed forces turned back two tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after issuing warnings, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, saying this came as a result of the continuing U.S. maritime blockade on Iran. The vessels, sailing under the flags of Botswana and Angola, were forced to change course after what the report described as “unauthorised transit” through the strategic waterway. (Reporting by Dubai Newsroom Editing by Peter Graff) [Read more]

* Tehran says gaps remain over nuclear issues, Strait of Hormuz * Trump cites 'very good conversations' * Iran reimposes Strait of Hormuz closure * Shipping remains uncertain after vessels report gunfire By Trevor Hunnicutt, Ariba Shahid and Muhammad Al Gebaly WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 19 - Iran's top negotiator said recent talks with the U.S. had made progress but gaps remained over nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, while President Donald Trump cited "very good conversations" with [Read more]

Iraq's oil ministry said oil exports would resume from all fields within the next few days, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported on Saturday. Four energy sources said that Iraq resumed southern oil exports on Friday after a halt of more than a month caused by disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with one tanker beginning to load crude. (Reporting by Enas Alashray; Editing by Louise Heavens) [Read more]

A convoy of eight tankers was crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, data showed, as some ship owners said they hoped Tehran would allow them to leave the Gulf during a short ceasefire window in the Iran war. The group - comprising one very large crude oil carrier (VLCC), several oil product and chemical tankers and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers - was passing through Iranian waters south of Larak island, according to MarineTraffic data. More tankers were seen following from the [Read more]

Goldman Sachs said softer oil demand and easing supply disruptions have balanced out the risks in its oil price outlook, though it kept its 2026 average forecasts unchanged. The bank maintained its Brent and WTI crude forecasts for 2026 at $83 a barrel and $78 a barrel, respectively, assuming oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass, gradually normalize by mid-May. * Crude prices settled down [Read more]

The U.S. Department of Energy said on Friday it had loaned26.03 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to nine oil companies, the third allotment under the Trump administration's effort to curb fuel prices that have surged since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The Trump administration agreed in March to release 172 million barrels from the SPR in a coordinated move with the International Energy Agency to draw down 400 million barrels in an effort to control fuel prices [Read more]

CALGARY - Iran says it has reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, but a University of British Columbia economist says it could be a while before any calm returns to rattled global oil markets. Werner Antweiler, an associate professor at the Sauder School of Business, says it's not as easy as flipping a switch and it will take time for the backlog of oil shipments to work itself out — and that's if hostilities don't resume. Antweiler says Insurers also still have to sign off [Read more]