Markets

The monthslong closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the Feb. 28 Iran conflict has sparked a dramatic US Gulf Coast logistics boom, fueling record oil exports and leaving local refineries running hard on imported Venezuelan crude.

In response to the Strait of Hormuz crisis and a desire to unlock unconstrained production potential, the UAE has executed a dramatic geopolitical and structural realignment.

With 20% of global daily supplies choked at the strait, major Asian demand centers—China, Japan, and India—are executing aggressive defensive maneuvers to counter severe Middle Eastern deficits.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has transformed the US into a critical global

As trade tensions escalate ahead of the May 2026 summit between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, China has formally invoked its 2021 Blocking Rules to protect its refining sector from US

As the 2026 Iran War and the eight-week blockade of the Strait of Hormuz paralyze traditional energy corridors, the geopolitical map of energy procurement has been redrawn.

The expansion of the Iran conflict and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz in Feb. 2026 have paralyzed global aviation supply chains, forcing a desperate reorientation of energy logistics.

The US and Israeli offensive against Iran, initiated on Feb. 28, 2026, has triggered a historic redirection of global energy flows.

The restoration of the Druzhba pipeline’s southern branch has signaled a critical shift in European energy politics, resolving a three-month deadlock that stalled billions in aid for Kyiv.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 28, 2026, has triggered a severe energy squeeze across Asia, removing approximately 11 MM b/d of Middle Eastern production from global markets.