News about military conflict
UPDATED. The Moldovan government imposes an emergency situation in the energy sector for 60 days. For this purpose, extraordinary sessions of the Government and Parliament will be held on Tuesday, March 24.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States and Iran have been in “very good and productive talks” since late last week to end hostilities, and he therefore ordered a suspension of strikes on Iranian energy. Iran, represented by the Foreign Ministry and parliament speaker, has officially said it is not holding any talks with the Americans. At the same time, an Iranian foreign policy official anonymously confirmed to CBS the receipt of “U.S. proposals.”
UPDATED. As a result of attacks on energy infrastructure in southern Ukraine, the Isaccea-Vulcanesti (400 kV) overhead power line, one of the key elements of Moldova’s energy system and an important link to the European power grid, was shut down.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East is driving investor demand for defensive assets as the war drags on. The dollar index, which measures the value of the U.S. currency against a basket of currencies, rose 0.03% to 99.53. The euro fell 0.06% to $1.1563. The yen rose 0.06% to 159.11 per dollar, while sterling weakened 0.06% to $1.3331.
Ships that are not linked to “Iran’s enemies” can pass through the Strait of Hormuz with the agreement of security measures with Tehran. This was stated by the representative of the Islamic Republic to the International Maritime Organization Ali Mousavi, Reuters reports.
The US authorities temporarily allowed the purchase of Iranian oil loaded on tankers earlier than March 20. The relaxation of sanctions will last 30 days. It will allow about 140 million barrels to be brought to the market. The goal is to bring prices down below $100 per barrel.
Bitcoin clawed back a week’s worth of gains in just one weekend.
US President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Iran, threatening to destroy its power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48 hours.
The attacks on Iran increased the wholesale price of flour-grade wheat from the Black Sea region by about $6/t.
Iran has attacked the Diego Garcia base, owned by the US and UK, in the Indian Ocean with two medium-range ballistic missiles. This is the first case of such a threat to US interests outside the Middle East – 4,000 kilometers from Iran.
US President Donald Trump has listed the goals of the military operation in Iran.
On Friday, March 20, the British pound fell in value due to rising oil prices, which worsened investor sentiment.
The chaotic crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has made clear how power works in the twenty-first century. It reminds us that the greatest long-term threat to the United States is not China’s military buildup or Russian aggression, but the gradual fragmentation of the system of alliances that has provided its global leadership since World War II.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect from March 21 to 23.
Due to the crisis in the Middle East, global gas prices have increased. However, Moldova has not suffered yet – the country does not import gas from this region. Moreover, purchases are made under contracts indexed one month in advance. The director general of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE), Aleksey Taran, assured that the regulated gas price will remain unchanged for the time being.
The U.S. Defense Department has proposed to the White House several options for further funding of the military campaign against Iran, Logos Press reported, citing the Washington Post.
EU leaders gathered for a summit today to try to persuade Viktor Orban to lift his veto on a 90 billion euros allocation to Ukraine and to discuss the escalating military conflict in the Middle East and high energy prices.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to “blow up everything” in Iran’s South Pars gas field if Tehran attacks Qatari gas fields again.
At the opening of the session, oil was trading around $110 per barrel. As of 5:55 Moscow time, the cost of May futures for Brent increased by 4.5% to $112.26 per barrel. In general, oil rose in price by about 11% during the week, and for the month the growth exceeded 50%.
On Wednesday, March 18, global oil prices showed a decline after the news of resumption of oil exports from Iraq’s Kirkuk fields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
