Hormuz and Red Sea shipping, oil and gas, aviation, and market moves.
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Benchmark U.S. crude rose above $90 a barrel on Friday for the first time since October 2023, and Brent also broke $90. The U.S. average gasoline price rose 34 cents in a week to $3.32 a gallon, according to AAA.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it hit an American oil tanker in the northern Gulf, but maritime security firms said the target appeared to be the Bahamas-flagged Sonangol Namibe. Its operator said a small vessel approached the ship at anchor near Khor al-Zubair, Iraq, before a loud bang breached a ballast tank; all 23 crew were safe and there was no cargo or pollution.
Iraq's Electricity Ministry said the national grid was "completely shut down across all Iraqi provinces" after a sudden drop in gas supplies to a key power plant, AFP reported. Iraq's Oil Ministry also halted production at a major field near Basra, citing a shortage of tankers in the Gulf, AP reported.
QatarEnergy said it had declared force majeure to affected buyers, formally releasing itself from delivery obligations after it stopped producing liquefied natural gas following Iranian drone attacks on Ras Laffan and Mesaieed on March 2.
President Trump said he ordered the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to offer political risk insurance and guarantees for all maritime trade through the Gulf, especially energy, and that the Navy would escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz "as soon as possible" if necessary.
Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the IRGC commander, said "the strait is closed" and that the Guard and navy would set ablaze any ship trying to pass, Iranian state media reported. Earlier Monday the IRGC said it hit the tanker Athe Nova with two drones, and MarineTraffic said transits had fallen about 70% since Saturday.
Qatar's Defense Ministry said one drone hit a QatarEnergy facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City and another a power-plant water tank in Mesaieed, with no casualties. QatarEnergy then halted production of liquefied natural gas and associated products with no timeline for restarting, and European benchmark gas prices jumped more than 40%.
A bomb-carrying drone boat struck the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MKD VYOM in the Gulf of Oman off Muscat, sparking a fire and killing one crew member from India, the Oman News Agency said.
Two projectiles struck the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Imperative while it was berthed in the Port of Bahrain, starting a fire that was put out, UKMTO and operator Crowley said. Crowley said one shipyard worker was killed and two injured; the ship's crew was unhurt.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones targeting the Ras Tanura refinery near Dammam but that falling debris started a fire. State TV said the refinery, with capacity above half a million barrels a day, was temporarily shut as a precaution, with no casualties.
Oil rose sharply when trading resumed Sunday evening: Brent was around $79 a barrel, about 8% above Friday's close, and climbed as much as 13% in Asian trading Monday before paring gains. OPEC+ had agreed on Sunday to raise April output by 206,000 barrels a day, more than expected.
Maersk, the world's largest container line, said it was suspending all vessel crossings of the Strait of Hormuz until further notice. CMA CGM had told its ships in and bound for the Gulf to shelter, and MSC ordered its Gulf vessels to safe areas and stopped Middle East bookings; Iran's foreign minister told Al Jazeera the same day Iran had no plan to close the strait "at this stage."
Oman's news agency said two drones targeted the commercial port of Duqm, one hitting workers' housing and injuring a foreign worker. Oman's Maritime Security Centre then said the Palau-flagged tanker Skylight was attacked about 5 nautical miles off Musandam; four of its 20 crew were wounded and all were evacuated.
Vessels in the Gulf received VHF messages from Iran's Revolutionary Guard saying "no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz," an official with the EU's Aspides naval mission said. Britain's UKMTO said it had multiple such reports but could not confirm them, Iran made no formal announcement, and some major oil traders had already halted shipments through the strait.
Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE closed their airspace after Iran's attacks, following Iran, Iraq and Israel. Qatar Airways suspended flights at its Doha hub and Dubai airport later halted all operations until further notice.
Armed men rappelled from a helicopter onto the Bahamas-flagged, Japanese-operated cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the southern Red Sea off Yemen and seized it with its 25 crew, targeting it as an Israeli-linked ship over the Gaza war. It was the first of many Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
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