TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Saturday that they had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf as it sailed away from a UAE port, a day after security companies determined they were likely responsible. &quot;Yesterday morning at 7:30, after a judicial authority ordered the seizure of the cargo of an oil tanker with the trade name Talara and the flag of the Marshall Islands, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rapid reaction units of the naval forces monitored its movements and intercepted and seized it,&quot; said the IRGC, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic&#39;s military. &quot;The tanker was found to be in violation of the law by carrying unauthorized cargo,&quot; the statement continued, adding it &quot;was carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical cargo and was heading to Singapore.&quot; The Iranian news agency Fars said that action was not taken as a measure against any other nation but was a purely local matter. The seized cargo, the report said, was made up of Iranian-produced petrochemicals being illegally exported and &quot;the main culprit was an Iranian individual or business.&quot; The vessel had departed from Ajman in the United Arab Emirates and was heading south through the Strait of Hormuz when it was approached by three small boats, after which it made a &quot;sudden course deviation,&quot; maritime security company Ambrey said. The US Navy had earlier said it was &quot;actively monitoring the situation.&quot; &quot;Commercial vessels are entitled to largely unimpeded rights of navigation and commerce on the high seas,&quot; said the US 5th Fleet, which patrols the region. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil and liquefied natural gas, has previously been the scene of similar incidents. Last year, the Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship, saying it had links to Israel, following a deadly attack on Iran&#39;s consulate in Syria blamed on Israel.

File Photo - Iraq’s state ports company and naval forces carry out a joint operation in Iraqi territorial waters and the Khor Abdallah channel to ensure navigational safety and crack down on oil smugglers on August 7, 2025. 

Asia

Middle East

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Saturday that they had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf as it sailed away from a UAE port, a day after security companies determined they were likely responsible.

Iran Guards confirm they seized oil tanker in Gulf

Web Desk

NEW DELHI: India said Thursday that its energy priority was the interest of its citizens after US President Donald Trump said New Delhi had promised it would stop buying Russian oil. New Delhi neither confirmed nor denied that it was shifting policy toward Russia. In a recent statement from Russian state media, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia is confident its energy partnership with India will continue. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had said India&#39;s prime minister Narendra Modi had promised him that India would stop buying oil from Moscow.&nbsp; Responding to Trump&#39;s statement, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said,&nbsp;&ldquo;It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.&rdquo; &ldquo;Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective,&rdquo; he said. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 803px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1978690629522653592&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=7c80ad9b4e0b40ca02cb968ad2ae8817c7f22a86&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> &ldquo;Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy,&rdquo; Jaiswal added. &ldquo;This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions.&rdquo; Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticized Modi in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the prime minister was &ldquo;frightened of Trump&rdquo; and listing what he described as examples of Modi yielding to US pressure, including the reported cancellation of a finance minister&rsquo;s visit to Washington. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 418px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1978669002798055695&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=7c80ad9b4e0b40ca02cb968ad2ae8817c7f22a86&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Major oil importer&nbsp;India, one of the world&rsquo;s largest crude oil importers, relies on foreign suppliers for more than 85% of its oil needs. It&nbsp;traditionally relied on Middle Eastern nations. But since 2022, it has shifted sharply toward discounted Russian crude, taking advantage of a buyer&rsquo;s market created by Western bans on Moscow&rsquo;s exports. &ldquo;Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement,&rdquo; Jaiswal said. &ldquo;This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing.&rdquo; In August, the US raised tariffs on Indian exports to the United States to 50%, with Trump&rsquo;s aides accusing India of fueling Russia&rsquo;s war in Ukraine. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously defended buying oil from Russia, a historic partner of India, despite Moscow&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine.

Participants speak in front of an exhibition stand of Russia's power company Rosseti at the Russian Energy Week international forum in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025. 

Americas

According to an Indian foreign ministry spokesman: 'It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario.'

India says consumers on priority after Trump comments on stopping Russian oil

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump&#39;s second term has seen the United States go all-in to boost Big Oil and block renewables -- yet a wave of state and local climate-damage lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry continues to advance. Now Republicans are moving to shut them down with a two-pronged strategy: pushing for a federal shield law and urging the Supreme Court to intervene. &quot;The issue for the oil companies is that they know they did it,&quot; Richard Wiles, president of the nonprofit Center for Climate Integrity, told AFP. &quot;Their only avenue out of this is to get some kind of a waiver of liability, make the cases go away, bar the courthouse doors, get a &#39;get out of jail free card.&#39;&quot; Dozens of cases modeled on successful actions against the tobacco industry in the 1990s are playing out in state courts nationwide -- including claims of injuries, failure to warn, and even racketeering, meaning acting like a criminal enterprise. Some have been dismissed, and none have yet gone to trial -- though crucially, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court has repeatedly declined to intervene and block them. They have no shameIn June, 16 Republican state attorneys general urged the Trump administration to enact a shield law to end such cases. &quot;Under the banner of &#39;global climate change,&#39; they have effectively declared an all-out war on traditional American energy,&quot; their letter said, calling the lawsuits &quot;lawfare against the energy industry.&quot; It faulted the Supreme Court for not moving the cases to federal court, where companies believe they stand a better chance of winning, and cited a 2005 statute granting gunmakers a similar liability shield. &quot;They have no shame,&quot; said Pat Parenteau, an emeritus professor of environmental law at the University of Vermont, pointing to the epidemic of gun violence. &quot;I mean, come on, that&#39;s your argument?&quot; Congress has yet to act, but observers see worrying signs that it may be edging closer. A recent appropriations bill for the District of Columbia would bar the city from using funds to enforce consumer protection laws &quot;against oil and gas companies for environmental claims.&quot; And just last week, more than 100 House Republicans filed a friend-of-the-court brief in one Colorado case, urging the Supreme Court to &quot;put an end to these unconstitutional attempts to dictate national energy policy.&quot; AFP contacted Nebraska and West Virginia, which led the letter, as well as the Department of Justice, oil majors ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and BP, and the American Petroleum Institute. None responded. Coordinated campaign&nbsp;The Trump administration, for its part, has escalated attacks on Democrat-led states passing &quot;polluter pays&quot; laws -- suing for example, New York and Vermont to block &quot;Superfunds&quot; that would require companies to pay billions toward climate and extreme weather resilience. The Justice Department has also asked the Supreme Court to weigh in through a friend-of-the-court brief in the Colorado case, where the state&#39;s top court allowed Boulder County to proceed with its lawsuit against Suncor Energy. A constellation of conservative legal scholars has joined what appears to be a coordinated push, including a <a data-fr-linked="true" href="//FoxNews.com">FoxNews.com</a> op-ed by John Yoo -- author of the Bush-era &quot;torture memos&quot; -- urging the Supreme Court to &quot;reaffirm federal authority over national energy.&quot; Results in the cases have so far been mixed: oil firms have won dismissals in some states, while others have allowed cases to advance. &quot;There hasn&#39;t been a big verdict yet. It&#39;s not clear there&#39;s going to be a big verdict. And you&#39;ve always got the Supreme Court lurking in the background,&quot; said Parenteau. That may explain why Congress has hesitated to act, he added -- though &quot;given the craziness that&#39;s going on in America right now, anything&#39;s possible.&quot; Environmental groups have urged Democrats to hold firm, and this summer, the 3,000-member National Association of Counties passed a resolution opposing &quot;any legislation that would limit or preempt counties&#39; access to courts or give companies immunity from lawsuits.&quot; Brigid Shea, commissioner for Texas&#39; Travis County, who helped lead the resolution, told AFP local governments were being &quot;walloped&quot; by extreme weather. &quot;We have to protect our access to the courts,&quot; she said. &quot;This is fundamental to our democratic process.&quot;

Republicans are moving to protect oil giants as climate lawsuits gain traction, pushing for federal immunity and Supreme Court backing. Critics say it’s an effort to dodge accountability as local governments pursue damages for climate-related destruction.

US Republicans seek to shield oil giants as climate lawsuits advance

ISLAMABAD: Oil prices held steady Monday as markets weighed the impact of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries against expectations for U.S. fuel demand and a possible Federal Reserve rate cut this week. Brent crude rose 3 cents to $67.02 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 8 cents to $62.77 by 12:09 a.m. GMT, the global standard for coordination. Ukraine strikes Russian infrastructureBoth benchmarks rose more than 1% last week after Ukraine struck key Russian energy infrastructure, including the Primorsk terminal and the Kirishi refinery. Primorsk, Russia&rsquo;s largest oil port in the west, can load about 1 million barrels per day, Reuters reported.&nbsp; The Kirishi refinery processes roughly 355,000 barrels per day, equal to 6.4 percent of Russia&rsquo;s refining capacity. Analysts at JPMorgan said the attacks signaled &ldquo;a growing willingness to disrupt international oil markets,&rdquo; which could put upward pressure on prices. In Russia&rsquo;s Bashkortostan region, local officials said production would continue despite a weekend drone strike.&nbsp; Impending US sanctionsThe pressure grew as U.S. President Donald Trump warned Sunday he was ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia and urged European nations to match U.S. measures. &ldquo;Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don&rsquo;t want them to buy oil,&rdquo; Trump told reporters. He added that &ldquo;the sanctions they are putting on are not tough enough, and I am willing to do sanctions, but they are going to have to toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I am doing.&rdquo; Federal reserve policy meetingInvestors are also watching U.S., China and rising inflation have raised concerns about economic momentum ahead of the Federal Reserve&rsquo;s policy meeting on September 16-17, where markets expect a possible interest rate cut to support growth, Reuters reported. The recent developments highlight how geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe, trade negotiations in Europe, and monetary policy in the United States are converging to shape the global oil market outlook.

Business

Oil prices held steady Monday as markets weighed the impact of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries against expectations for U.S. fuel demand and a possible Federal Reserve rate cut this week.

Articles tagged with "Oil"

Iran Guards confirm they seized oil tanker in Gulf

India says consumers on priority after Trump comments on stopping Russian oil

US Republicans seek to shield oil giants as climate lawsuits advance

Oil prices edge higher after attack on Russian energy infrastructure