⚠️ PAKISTAN WARNS IRAN AS HORMUZ RESTRICTIONS DEEPEN OIL PRESSURE
🛡️ PAKISTAN CALLS ATTACKS ON SAUDI ARABIA A “RED LINE”: Recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have frustrated Pakistan and could complicate Islamabad’s efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran.
A Pakistani official told Reuters: “Our top civil and military leaders have conveyed to Iran at the highest level that the attacks on Saudi Arabia are attacks on Pakistan. It is our red line.”
Under a mutual-defense agreement signed last year, nuclear-armed Pakistan has deployed thousands of soldiers, including forces near the Saudi-Yemen border, and a squadron of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Pakistani civil and military leaders reportedly warned Iran that an attack on Saudi territory would compel military intervention.
Islamabad is also concerned that Red Sea shipping disruptions could affect its vital energy imports. Reuters reported growing internal divisions in Tehran, where the IRGC’s military wing appears increasingly dominant over political leaders, a strain that recently delayed a bilateral visit by an Iranian delegation to Islamabad.
❌ U.S. OFFERS $15 MILLION FOR HOUTHI FINANCIAL INFORMATION: The U.S. State Department announced: “REWARD UP TO $ 15 MILLION FOR INFORMATION ON ANSARALLAH (HOUTHIS) FINANCIAL DISRUPTION: Ansarallah (Houthis) has launched multiple attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea, killing civilians and forcing rerouting of maritime traffic. These Iranian-trained and armed terrorists have also attempted hijackings and launched shore-to-ship missiles against vessels from U.S. and allied countries.”
⚓ HORMUZ TRAFFIC REMAINS AT ONE-TENTH OF PRE-WAR LEVELS: Kpler data recorded only 13 merchant vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, with eight leaving and five entering the Persian Gulf.
Although the U.S. military is promoting a “safer” southern route near the Omani coast, maritime tracking indicates that most operators continue using routes near the Iranian coast. Some vessels are reportedly disabling their transponders to avoid detection entirely.
Iran’s Deputy Minister of Marine Environment and Wetlands announced that the government has drafted regulations imposing “environmental compensation fees” on vessels passing through Hormuz. The proposal still requires approval by Iran’s parliament.
⚠️ GLOBAL OIL BUFFER FALLS AS PRICES SURGE: Global crude stockpiles have fallen by 360 million barrels since March, following a broader drawdown of more than one billion barrels since the conflict began.
The decline is eroding the primary global buffer against a major “oil supply shock.” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that alternative production and Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline have limited immediate shortages, but cannot sustainably compensate for an extended disruption.
“Brent crude” has risen by approximately $13 to nearly $85 per barrel. “West Texas Intermediate” has increased by more than $10 and settled just below $80.
💥 DRONE INCIDENT DISRUPTS BASRA OIL OPERATIONS: A drone exploded near a Liberian-flagged oil tanker at Iraq’s Basra oil port, prompting authorities to suspend oil-loading operations, according to a security source cited by Al Jazeera.
The Iraqi Ports Authority disputed reports of a broader interruption: “Unloading and handling operations are continuing without any interruption. The incident involving the ship occurred outside the jurisdiction of Iraqi ports”.
Dana Gas separately shut down its main production facilities at Iraq’s Khor Mor field because of security threats, according to Reuters.
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