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Iran has laid at least a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz, US intelligence officials have claimed.

The strait, which serves as a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil, was paralysed at the start of the war after Iran threatened to destroy any vessel using the critical shipping lane.

US officials said there were at least a dozen Maham 3 and Maham 7 Limpet mines under the narrow waterway, according to CBS News. They will need careful extraction before shipping can resume.

Don’t think the valero port arthur refinery explosion reported was an accident after Iran promised Trump something special overnight!

Will a 5 day ceasefire hold……..

Iran has ominously warned Donald Trump that it has 'special plans' for him and the US's allies in the Gulf, after the American president threatened to attack the nation's power plants.

A source told the state-run Fars News Agency: 'Tonight, special events are planned for Tel Aviv and some regional allies of the

US and Israel that will completely remove the hope of negotiations from the minds of the aggressors.'

The threat came following Trump's suggestion the Strait of Hormuz could be jointly run by himself and the Ayatollah when it fully reopens to the world following talks to end the Iran war.

Iran-related question - specifically he wants to know when Starmer believes the conflict will end.

The prime minister says he wants the war to stop as quickly as possible, and that he welcomes reported talks between the US and Iran that Donald Trump hailed as productive on Sunday. Starmer adds that the UK was aware of these discussions.

Asked about the impact of the war on businesses, and how far ahead they should plan for the war to continue, Starmer acknowledges that the war "could go on for some time". He says he's told his team not to fall into the "false comfort" that there could be a "quick and early end".

President Trump said Monday that his ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by later in the day or face strikes on its power plants was being postponed amid "GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE" peace talks with Tehran. Iranian state media deny any talks and claim Mr. Trump "retreated" from his deadline "out of fear of Iran's response."

Iran has warned that energy and oil infrastructures will be viewed as “legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed” if strikes continue.

Their parliament speaker warned that oil prices would then “rise for a long time” and that their forces would cause “irreversible damage”.

It comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” the Islamic Republic’s power grid if the Strait of Hormuz was not "fully open" within 48 hours. Tehran hit back, saying the key shipping route remains open to all except vessels linked to "Iran's enemies".

Correction to the post below.

The strike on Diego Garcia took place just seven days after Israeli forces struck Iran's main space research centre in Tehran, amid fears it was being used to 'develop satellite attack capabilities in space'.

Defence experts have suggested the incident is significant in that it has revealed Iranian missiles can cover far greater distances than they were previously thought to be capable of.

London, Paris and Berlin ALL 'under threat' from Iranian missiles after Tehran's mullahs 'use space rocket' to target British base on Diego Garcia - as experts warn the regime may have been 'serially underestimated'

Tehran's mullahs threatening the Strait of Hormuz. Defence experts have suggested the incident is significant in that it has revealed Iranian missiles can cover far greater distances than they were previously thought to be capable of.

London, Paris and Berlin ALL 'under threat' from Iranian missiles after Tehran's mullahs 'use space rocket' to target British base on Diego Garcia - as experts warn the regime may have been 'serially underestimated'

Gas flaring during commissioning last month.

Mana Energy officially announced the successful commissioning of the TE-6 and TE-7 gas wells in the Tendrara field (eastern region), and their entry into the production phase...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tmxLmLN-68k

Moving……..@ 111 +

Looks like a long haul.

Nato allies have have cast doubt over the alliance’s role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz in a fresh blow to Donald Trump.

The US president had called for “about seven” countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning Nato that the bloc faces a “very bad future” if allies refuse to help the US open up the maritime chokepoint, which has been under Iranian control since the war began.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz’ spokesperson said “This war has nothing to do with Nato. It's not Nato's war

Https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15645711/Iran-strikes-UAE-port-threatens-abduct-US-militar-Tehran-Trumps-Kharg-Island-Live-updates.html

Britain must ramp up North Sea oil and gas production and stop 'outsourcing' Britain's energy security, Tony Blair's think-tank insisted today.

The TBI's energy policy expert Tone Langengen said the Middle East crisis showed the need to minimise the country's reliance on imports.

Scrapping the windfall tax now would send a clear signal: Britain backs long-term investment, competitiveness and energy resilience.

Government should also rethink the ban on new exploration licences. Managed responsibly, new projects can protect jobs and strengthen security while we build the clean energy system of the future.

Going to be an interesting day………$102^

As the price is about to hit $100 again……….

The government is preparing for a 'worst-case scenario' where the Middle East crisis continues to rage for months to come.

Internal analysis is said to have concluded oil prices could reach $150 a barrel if fighting continues until May, with gas costs also spiking.

Only a 'best case' presented to ministers, where the conflict ends within days, would see the price stabilising below $100 a barrel, according to Bloomberg.

Energy prices have come down slightly after Brent crude topped $100 (£74.73) a barrel earlier on Thursday in Asian trading - even after news that countries have agreed to release record amounts of oil reserves.

Brent is now trading by around 6% higher at $97.48, while New York-traded oil is up by about 5.5% at $92.09 a barrel.

Energy prices have soared since the start of the war with huge swings, coming close to $120 on Monday.

Traders are expecting this conflict to be "prolonged" - which explains why the release of oil reserves has provided little relief and serves as a "temporary buffer", says Martin Ma from the Singapore Institute of Technology.

Iran has warned the world to prepare for oil to hit $200 a barrel, after it attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has all but cut off access to the waterway, a chokepoint in global trade that ordinarily sees around 20% of all oil pass through daily.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East, however, it has established a domineering presence in the Strait, leading to oil prices hitting a peak of nearly $120 a barrel, before dropping to its price at time of publication of $87

Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran's military command said in comments directed at the US and its allies: 'Get ready for oil be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security which you have destabilised.'

Yesterday, Iran said it would not allow 'one litre of oil' to be shipped from the Middle East if US and Israeli attacks continue.

It has made good on that threar, after today attacking several commercial ships in the Strait.

An attack on the Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree from an 'unknown projectile', which was reported at 4.35am GMT, happened 11 nautical miles north of Oman and resulted in a fire onboard the ship.

Saudi Arabia's state oil company has today warned of 'catastrophic consequences' for the world's oil markets if the Middle East war continues to choke exports.

Amin Nasser, the CEO of Aramco, said: 'While we have faced disruptions in the past, this one by far is the biggest crisis the region's oil and gas industry has faced.'

He admitted that while his firm, the world's single biggest exporter of oil, was meeting most of its customers' needs for now, this was only possible by tapping into storage facilities outside the Gulf.

Oil price to stay high for some time…….Sitting at $92

DUBAI, March 10 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Aramco (2222.SE), opens new tab, the world's top oil exporter, said on Tuesday there would be "catastrophic consequences" for the world's oil ​markets if the Iran war continues to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil shipments have been largely blocked from using the shipping artery, where normally ‌roughly 20% of the world's oil would pass through daily. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would not allow "one litre of oil" to be shipped from the Middle East if U.S. and Israeli attacks continue.

Second chance to reform North Sea windfall tax – has Chancellor listened?

Which ever way, another interesting day………..

Lots of rumour, hold tight!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/24/miliband-north-sea-denmark-drill/