Hormuz and Red Sea shipping, oil and gas, aviation, and market moves.
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The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body Iran set up to manage the Strait of Hormuz, said some charterers were forcing vessels onto invalid routes and warned this risks "financial and life losses" and would seriously restrict those ships' future passage; it said breaches by charterers could bring restrictions on all vessels of the companies involved.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council, whose secretary is Mohsen Rezaei, said in a statement carried by ISNA that Iran would not retaliate militarily against U.S. sanctions on its airlines, calling reports of such plans inaccurate interpretations of Rezaei's remarks, and said talks with the countries concerned to lift some restrictions were being pursued seriously. It said unspecified non-military countermeasures could be applied to some airports if needed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's office said Baghdad is in direct talks with Washington to exempt some Iraqi airports from the sanctions on Iranian airlines, so flights can resume for medical treatment, study, pilgrimages and other civilian needs, after all four Iraqi airports serving Iranian carriers halted them.
U.S. Central Command said the blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports redirected seven more commercial vessels since Wednesday, bringing the total to 122 since it was reinstated on July 14, with 12 redirected this week.
Brent crude traded at about $103 a barrel at midday Friday, down about 2.5% from Thursday, after Iran's foreign minister said Tehran had submitted an offer that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tankers within seven days if an agreement is reached.
Najaf airport, the main gateway for Shiite pilgrims, halted all flights between Iran and Najaf after a directive from the Iraqi prime minister's office, its director told AFP, and sources told Reuters that Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports also suspended Iranian flights. With Baghdad already closed to them, Iranian carriers lost access to all four Iraqi airports they served.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, wrote on X that flights in the region would be open to everyone or to no one, and that no country in the region would have airport services if Iran is denied them, after the UAE and Iraq closed their airports to Iranian carriers under U.S. sanctions.
Brent crude surged about 5% to a session high of $108.23 after the Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia, then pared gains on a report of talks on a phased Hormuz reopening to settle up 3.4% at $106.60 a barrel. U.S. crude rose 2.7% to $94.61.
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the Emirates, citing the U.S. sanctions on Iranian carriers, WAM reported; Iran's ISNA news agency said the flights had stopped since midnight.
Brent crude rose 3.9% to settle at $103.08 a barrel on Wednesday and U.S. crude gained 1.8% to $92.16, ending five straight losing sessions after Iran's president told the UN General Assembly that Iran would not surrender. Earlier in Asian trading Brent had slipped to about $98 on hopes for the New York talks.
One crew member, an Indian national, was killed when the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao was attacked 2.5 nautical miles off Oman's Musandam peninsula, starting a fire in the engine room; an Omani navy ship evacuated 27 crew. No one claimed responsibility, and an Indian seafarers' union said two torpedoes hit the ship.
Deputy Oil Minister Ahmad Zeraatkar said half of the production capacity at South Pars gas facilities damaged by Israeli strikes in March has been restored, up from about 40% in late August, and that the remaining repairs will be finished before winter, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Parliament's national security committee approved articles of a Strait of Hormuz bill letting authorities seize 20% of a violating vessel's cargo or its value and impound the ship until fines are paid, spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said; any future international agreement on the strait would have to comply with Iran's constitution. The bill still needs a full parliamentary vote and constitutional review.
Iran Air said in a statement carried by IRNA that it had received no notification from the aviation authorities of Turkey, Azerbaijan or Iraq to halt its flights to Istanbul, Baku and Najaf, a day before tighter US sanctions on Iranian aviation were due.
Saudi Arabia restarted its East-West Pipeline at a low rate and could resume crude exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu later Tuesday, three sources told Reuters; drone attacks had forced it shut on Sept. 13. Brent fell more than $2 to about $97.81 a barrel, its lowest since Sept. 8.
Commodity vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz fell to two on Monday from 10 a day earlier, according to preliminary shipping data reported by Reuters; the count excludes ships sailing with transponders off. Before the war the strait handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi told The New York Times that Iran has not allowed Iraqi tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to push up oil prices, and that Iraq has lost about $60 billion and some 60% of monthly export revenue since the war began. He also set June 2027 for Iran-aligned armed groups to disarm and fold into the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The Trump administration has proposed investing $5 billion in a new fund to help Middle East countries rebuild energy infrastructure damaged in the Iran war and reduce their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz to ship oil and gas, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and Middle Eastern officials and documents.
Brent crude for November fell $2.69, or 2.6%, to $101.18 a barrel by 12:54 GMT on Monday, and both benchmarks touched their lowest since Sept. 10, as traders hoped this week's UN meetings would bring diplomatic progress and eyed a partial recovery in Saudi shipments.
Khaleej Times live updates (Reuters), Al Jazeera live blog (day recap)
UKMTO said military authorities reported that a tanker on an inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile, leaving two crew with minor injuries; the vessel continued under its own power. Later on Monday, UKMTO reported a delayed report of an outbound LPG tanker hit by debris from unknown projectiles, with all crew safe.
QatarEnergy chief and Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said the company is producing a 'very minute' amount of LNG and could resume normal output a few weeks after the Strait of Hormuz reopens, adding that critical equipment could not reach Qatar because of the crisis.
France will call a G7 meeting in the coming weeks devoted to soaring energy prices and consider releasing strategic oil reserves, President Emmanuel Macron said after a crisis meeting on threats from the Middle East and Ukraine wars.
Saudi Aramco has sold about 60 million barrels from Ras Tanura for loading by ship-to-ship transfer off Oman's Sohar this month and next, mainly to Chinese and South Korean refiners, Reuters reported, while Bloomberg said Aramco told at least two European refiners they would receive no crude next month.
A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire that was later extinguished, UKMTO said; all crew were reported safe and the environmental impact was unconfirmed.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Italy would deploy warships to ensure safe passage for Italian commercial vessels through the Bab al-Mandeb without waiting for an EU decision, warning of severe economic consequences if the strait became impassable. The EU's naval mission raised its alert level the same day.
The IRGC navy said it struck the Togo-flagged tanker Trend as it attempted an 'illegal passage' of the strait, setting it on fire and bringing it to a halt, and warned that illegal passage would bring 'destruction.' UKMTO earlier reported a security incident 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab with the crew safe; it was unclear if it was the same ship.
A westbound tanker reported that a skiff pursued it and tried to intercept it about 75 nautical miles east of Aden, UKMTO said in warning 136-26, urging vessels in the area to be cautious.
Brent settled down $2.92, or 2.7%, at $105.83 a barrel and WTI fell 3.2% to $102.43 after Reuters reported Saudi Arabia was offering Asian refiners additional crude through ship-to-ship transfers off Oman's Sohar port, easing fears over the pipeline outage.
The Houthis said they fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at the Aramco facility in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, causing 'large fires,' and struck the Khamis Mushait air base. Saudi Arabia did not comment.
Some physical crude cargoes in Europe topped $130 a barrel and North Sea Forties rose to $136.75, near April's record, after Saudi Arabia suspended late-September shipments to European buyers because of the Yanbu loading halt, Reuters reported. Brent futures were about $107 earlier in the day.