🛢️ Saudi Aramco shocks the market: the company reported a +26% jump in Q1 2026 profit, reaching $33.6 billion — beating analyst expectations.
📈 What’s driving it? Surging oil prices and escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy chokepoint.
While many Middle Eastern exporters remain heavily dependent on Hormuz, Saudi Arabia managed to soften the impact by maximizing use of its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea — moving up to 7 million barrels per day.
⚠️ Iran’s blockade of the Strait has already removed nearly 1 billion barrels of oil from global supply chains, with the deficit growing every day the route remains closed.
💰 Meanwhile, Brent crude prices: • +95% year-over-year • +67% since the start of 2026 • Peaked at $120/barrel during the height of tensions
📌 The takeaway: in today’s world, energy infrastructure and alternative export routes are becoming just as strategic as the oil itself.
Oil markets are cooling slightly as Brent crude stabilises just above $100/barrel after signs of progress in U.S.-Iran peace talks.
Meanwhile, U.S. fuel exports to Europe and Asia have surged to record highs following the Hormuz disruption — generating an estimated $60+ billion windfall for American oil producers this year.
But there’s a political cost: U.S. gasoline prices have jumped nearly 50% in just two months, with the national average now at $4.53/gallon. Analysts warn that if prices hit $5, pressure could mount on Trump to restrict fuel exports despite strong global demand.
At the same time, U.S. oil and diesel inventories continue to fall sharply.
