Tehran’s national security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr issued a list of demands for the US to fulfill before Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
State media published the list of requirements from Zolghadr, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. The list includes measures such as lifting the US naval blockade, withdrawing military forces and permanently ending the war.
Zolghadr also calls for the US to compensate Iran for damage caused by the conflict and release frozen Iranian assets.
“These are the demands of the Iranian people, which they have loudly proclaimed during 160 days of steadfast presence in the field and in the streets,” the politician said.
“Until America corrects its behavior, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened,” his statement read.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Some background: Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran is “very close” to reaching a deal with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz.
But he cautioned that the reopening of the strait was “subject to other conditions,” including the US making amends for what he said was a violation of the memorandum of understanding agreed between the two countries in June.
Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the negotiations as “positive and constructive.”
On Friday, Iran’s state-affiliated Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported that Iranian lawmakers had largely landed on a proposed framework agreement with Oman but were waiting for “final approval.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/09/world/live-news/iran-war-trump
Measles data from the World Health Organization show that Canada has half the number of confirmed cases as the United States, despite having a population only about one-tenth the size of its neighbour.
WHO says 47,459 measles cases have been confirmed across the Americas as of July 18, which is three times higher than the total reported cases all of last year in the region.
The United States has 2,260 of those cases, while Canada has confirmed 1,107.
The WHO says the disease has claimed 45 lives so far this year in the Americas, largely in Guatemala and Mexico.
It says in an alert that the Americas need to strengthen their vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response measures amid rising measles cases across the region.
“Measles leaves no room for complacency. We know how to stop it: achieving high vaccination coverage, detecting suspected cases early, and responding rapidly to interrupt chains of transmission,” said Daniel Salas, the executive manager of WHO’s regional office for the Americas called the Pan American Health Organization, in a news release.
“Every outbreak exposes immunity gaps that must be urgently addressed, particularly among children, under-vaccinated communities, and populations with limited access to health services.”
PAHO said North and South America are seeing their highest number of confirmed cases in more than two decades.
Roughly 186,000 measles cases have been reported worldwide as of July. That’s a 12 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella on Friday pledged to revive the country´s oil and gas sector, restore state-owned energy company Ecopetrol and strengthen the electricity system, arguing that energy security would be a cornerstone of his administration.
Speaking during his inauguration, de la Espriella said Colombia would pursue an energy transition – a shift away from oil, gas and coal toward cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar power – but insisted it must not come at the expense of the country´s oil and gas industry.
“I believe in the energy transition,” he said. “But that transition must be built from strength, not from weakness, from self-sufficiency and not from dependence.”
The remarks reinforce a sharp shift from former President Gustavo Petro, who stopped awarding new oil and gas exploration contracts while pushing Colombia toward renewable energy and making protection of the Amazon a centerpiece of his environmental agenda. Just four months ago, Petro´s government hosted an international summit in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta aimed at building support for a global transition away from fossil fuels.
The commitments echo promises de la Espriella made throughout his presidential campaign, when he repeatedly vowed to expand oil and gas production and reverse key elements of Petro´s energy policy.
Calling energy security “a matter of national sovereignty,” de la Espriella said Colombia could not expect long-term prosperity by leaving its natural resources undeveloped.
He said rebuilding Ecopetrol, Colombia´s majority state-owned oil company and one of the country´s largest sources of government revenue and export earnings, would be “a definitive and absolute priority” after accusing the previous administration of weakening the company. The new president also confirmed his government would authorize fracking – a method of extracting oil and gas by injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to crack rock formations – under what he described as “the strictest technical and environmental standards.” He said his administration would also expand oil and gas exploration to rebuild Colombia´s declining reserves, guarantee the country´s energy security and attract investment back into the sector.
The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group attacked an Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia and a critical Red Sea port on Sunday, killing at least seven people, officials said.
A fire broke out at the Aramco refinery in Jazan early Sunday after it was struck by a Houthi drone, claimed Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the terrorist group.
It was a response to the latest Saudi retaliatory drone attack in the Houthi-controlled provinces of Hajjah and Saada, Saree claimed.
Houthi supporters hold a rally with a banner in Arabic reads, “All Saudi oil facilities are targets to our missiles and drones.” AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman
“The competent authorities are completing the necessary procedures to deal with the incident,” Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said in a statement, adding that no one was injured.
The strike on the Aramco refinery coincided with a Houthi missile and drone attack on the Red Sea port of Mokha, which is controlled by the Saudi-backed Yemen government.
The attack killed four troops and three civilians, with 15 others injured in the blasts, according to the National Resistance Forces, a Yemeni government-allied force.
The airstrikes also left the crucial port wrecked, with severe damage done to its buildings, pier and cargo held at the facility, said Fayed al-Noman, assistant undersecretary of Yemen’s information ministry.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked the Saudi Arabian oil refinery in Jazan. via REUTERS
The Mokha port serves as one of Yemen’s key ports that was recently renovated and used to avoid the Houthi-held docks in Hodeida.
The missile and drone strikes in Mokha were also targeting “Saudi enemy” troops and equipment allegedly stationed near the city, the Houthis claimed.
The repeated attacks between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemen government threaten to reignite the country’s bloody civil war that came to an end in 2022.
The conflict also threatens to ignite a wider war in the region as the Iran-backed terror group seeks to take control of shipping along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening more of the world’s oil supply.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a press conference held at the Ministry of Interior in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 8, 2026, on the occasion of National Journalists' Day.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is not currently in direct talks with the U.S. to end the war with Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz, despite Washington's assertions that a deal is near.
A brief hiatus in fighting between the U.S. and Iran after a June 17 memorandum of understanding has been followed by weeks of Iranian drone and missile attacks on shipping in the strait and neighboring Gulf countries, as well as counterstrikes by the U.S. on Iranian targets.
Araghchi said Sunday that his country is not engaging in talks with the U.S., but added that "messages are being exchanged through intermediaries," according to news agency Mehr. Araghchi also reportedly said that if Iran strikes a deal with Oman to secure a trade route through the strait, the U.S. still must meet Tehran's conditions to reopen the strait.
"Talks with Oman do not mean the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened. An agreement may be reached, but reopening the strait depends on other conditions conveyed through intermediaries," Araghchi was quoted as saying.
Oman has been a key interlocutor, especially on the thorny issue of the strait, a crucial gateway for about a fifth of the world's energy supplies.
Iran's foreign minister said a day earlier that Tehran and Oman, which border the waterway, were close to reaching an agreement on navigation, "specifically the determination of a transit route."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday that an agreement to open Hormuz with freedom of movement could come as soon as Wednesday. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also indicated that an agreement was imminent.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/09/saudi-aramco-extinguishes-refinery-fire-houthis-claim-attack.html
Natural gas reserves in Europe are dangerously low, creating the risk of new energy problems if the war in Iran continues and cold weather drives up heating demand in winter. But the continent’s biggest energy consumer does not seem overly concerned. Politico reports, UNN informs.
Details
It is noted that Germany is the EU’s most vulnerable point, as its gas shortage could be felt in neighboring countries due to the scale of its consumption, leading to rising prices across the bloc if the country is unable to replenish its reserves.
This has prompted growing calls for Berlin to do the unthinkable: order its state-owned energy giants to buy gas at any price, abandoning the longstanding free-market doctrine in energy policy - the article says.
The authors point out that for now, the German government refuses to budge, "even though it is failing to meet the EU’s targets and faces the risk of a physical supply shortage as early as November."
The storage level is not only extremely low for this time of year, but also historically low - said Sebastian Heinemann, managing director of Germany’s leading gas storage association, INES.
The publication adds that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, EU countries have been required to reach gas storage targets of 90 percent of national capacity by winter to prevent serious supply shortages. The EU lowered this target to 80 percent after the war in Iran began, in order to prevent panic buying.
Previously
The European Union tightened sanctions against Russia in response to a recent series of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine.
https://unn.ua/en/amp/germany-refuses-to-purchase-gas-a-difficult-winter-awaits-the-country-politico
Crude oil production reported by the RRC is limited to oil produced from oil leases and does not include condensate, which is reported separately by the RRC. For full oil and gas production statistics, you can visit the links below.
Statewide totals: https://www.rrc.texas.gov/oil-and-gas/research-and-statistics/production-data/texas-monthly-oil-gas-production/
County rankings: https://www.rrc.texas.gov/oil-and-gas/research-and-statistics/production-data/texas-monthly-oil-gas-production-by-county-ranking/
https://www.gilmermirror.com/2026/08/09/texas-oil-and-gas-production-statistics-for-may-2026/
Amazon is bankrolling what could become one of America's largest single sources of greenhouse gas emissions - a massive natural gas power plant in West Texas built exclusively to feed its new data center. The facility in Pecos County won't connect to the state grid. Instead, 35 turbines will pump 7.65 gigawatts directly into Amazon's expanding AI infrastructure, according to reporting by The New York Times. It's a stark illustration of how the AI boom's insatiable appetite for electricity is colliding with climate commitments.
Amazon just made a bet that's sending shockwaves through environmental circles. The company is pouring money into a new gas-burning power plant in West Texas that could rank among the country's worst climate polluters, all to keep a single data center humming.
The GW Ranch facility in Pecos County received its permit from Texas regulators and represents a dramatic shift in how tech giants are solving their energy crisis. According to Cleanview, which tracks data center power projects, the plant will deploy 35 natural-gas turbines capable of generating 7.65 gigawatts of electricity. That's roughly equivalent to the output of seven nuclear reactors, all dedicated to a single customer.
What makes this project particularly striking is its isolation. The plant won't feed into Texas' notoriously independent power grid. Instead, it'll operate as a private utility, channeling power directly to Amazon's data center through dedicated transmission lines. It's an arrangement that effectively sidesteps the usual scrutiny that comes with grid-connected facilities.
The New York Times reports this could position the facility as one of the nation's largest single sources of greenhouse gases. That's a troubling distinction for a company that's pledged to reach net-zero carbon by 2040 and has heavily promoted its climate commitments.
But Amazon isn't alone in this energy scramble. The entire tech industry is facing a reckoning as AI workloads explode. Training large language models and running inference at scale requires unprecedented amounts of electricity, and the grid simply can't keep pace with demand. Microsoft recently announced it's exploring small modular nuclear reactors, while Google has invested heavily in geothermal and next-generation fusion startups.
Europe's Next Energy Crisis Won't Be a War, It'll Be Peak Oil
By Haley Zaremba - Aug 09, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT
Europe is currently contending with its third energy crisis in four years against the backdrop of near-constant global geopolitical friction and fracas. The continent’s over-reliance on foreign fossil fuel imports has been thrown into sharp relief in recent months and years as the European Union has struggled to catch its breath and stabilize markets in the vanishingly short time spans between global oil shocks.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, Europe as a whole depended on Russian producers for 40 percent of the continent’s natural gas. This threw European markets into turmoil as the European Union struggled to set and maintain sanctions on Russian energy exports, kickstarting a pyrrhic war between Brussels and the Kremlin. Europe has never fully recovered from that turmoil, as it has since been battered by conflicts blocking the passage of the Red Sea in 2023 and 2024, and now the United States and Israel’s war in Iran. On top of these geopolitical shockwaves, Europe is now the most rapidly warming continent in the world, causing an unprecedented climate-related energy crisis in the region.
“We swore we’d learn. We promised things would change but here we are,” a ‘highly frustrated European diplomat’ was recently (anonymously) quoted by the BBC in response to market turmoil driven by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas trade flowed on an average day before the United States and Israel began their military operations in the region earlier this year.
“Instead of concentrating on much-needed long-term plans - about how to make Europe more competitive in this increasingly volatile world, [European] prime ministers and presidents are now in a panic over [energy] prices, worried about angry voters and scrambling for short-term solutions,” the source continued. “Just like the crisis after Russia’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine. Different conflict. Same European divisions; same dilemmas over energy. We can’t keep going round in these circles. Something’s got to give.”
Indeed, if Europe does not learn from its previous mistakes, much, much more disastrous crises could be just beyond the rapidly warming riverbend. A brand new report from the National Interest warns that Europe’s next energy catastrophe won’t come from global conflict nor from climate pressures, but from peak oil.
To be sure, Europe has made major progress when it comes to weaning itself of its dangerous reliance on Russian fossil fuel imports over the past four years. But while the Kremlin no longer boasts the same leverage over the European Union, the bloc remains problematically dependent on foreign oil from a variety of sources. According to official figures released by the European Council, the European Union imported 435 million tonnes (Mt) of crude oil in 2025 alone, representing an expenditure of more more than €212 billion.
If the EU does not hasten its transition away from fossil fuel imports and toward indigenous clean energy development, it could be caught flat-footed by terminal oil production decline, warns the National Interest. In fact, many of the bloc’s key importers have already started to see waning exports thanks to ageing wells and finite resources. And the result will be a much more insidious and hard-to-detect crisis – until it isn’t.
“Unlike wars or sanctions, terminal decline does not create an immediate supply shock. Instead, it gradually reduces the amount of oil available for export,” the report states. “As more exporting countries pass their production peak, fewer producers will be able to increase output when markets tighten, or supply disruptions occur. For an import-dependent region such as the European Union, this means that diversification alone may become increasingly difficult over time.”
What is more, the potential fallout from the next crisis could extend far beyond market turmoil and energy poverty. Without energy autonomy, the continent could be rendered extremely vulnerable to foreign aggression. Energy insecurity could pose a far greater threat to European safety and freedom than any weapon if expert warnings continue to go unheeded.
POSCO Future M Shares Jump on Long-Term LFP Cathode Supply Agreement
POSCO Future M's stock surged 12.20% to 165,500 won in early trading on the 7th, following news of a long-term, large-scale supply agreement for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes with a domestic battery maker. The market views this as more than a one-off order, but as a signal of securing mid-to-long-term revenue, boosting investor sentiment.
The company announced the previous day that it plans to sign a formal contract with the unidentified domestic battery maker in the third quarter of this year. Once finalized, POSCO Future M will supply over 190,000 tons of LFP cathode material from 2027 to 2032. LFP batteries, known for their lower cost and high stability, are seeing rapidly growing demand in the energy storage system (ESS) sector, where cathode material is a key component determining performance and price competitiveness.
Strategic Move for North American ESS Market
This supply agreement is seen as a proactive response to expanding ESS demand in North America. As power grid stabilization and renewable energy adoption accelerate, the ESS market is growing, driving demand for LFP batteries and related materials. POSCO Future M did not disclose the customer's name.
The company also stated that negotiations for LFP cathode supply contracts with other major customers are in their final stages, and it plans to expand production capacity in line with additional orders. This development could mark a shift in POSCO Future M's portfolio from its traditional high-nickel materials to include LFP, with the pace of North American ESS market growth and further contract signings likely to be key variables for its earnings and stock performance.
https://www.bydfi.com/en/crypto-news/posco-future-m-soars-on-lfp-cathode-supply-deal-65442
President Donald Trump announced a $3 billion (~4.2 trillion won) package of new mining projects on Thursday, local time, aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on China for critical minerals on national security grounds. The announcement was made at the State Department in Washington, D.C., with mining industry workers in attendance, and covers a broad spectrum of materials ranging from lithium-ion battery components to rare earth elements and aerospace-grade minerals.
"Our administration is announcing a historic $3 billion mining project," President Trump said. "Critical minerals are the source of American power, powering everything from advanced weapons to automobiles." He added, "We want critical minerals to be mined, refined, and produced in America."
The cornerstone of the initiative is a $1.4 billion (~2 trillion won) conditional loan from the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Strategic Capital to Sila Nanotechnologies, a lithium-ion battery component manufacturer. The company was the first in the world to develop a silicon-based replacement for graphite in battery anodes and plans to use the funding to build a manufacturing facility in Washington state.
The Defense Department will also invest $400 million (~570 billion won) in Sunrise Energy Metals, a scandium mining company serving the aerospace and defense industries. Niron Magnetics, which produces rare earth-free permanent magnets in Minnesota, will receive $150 million, while a graphite mining project in Alabama has been allocated $25 million (~35 billion won).
The supply chain diversification push also extends beyond U.S. borders, with $4.8 million (~7 billion won) directed to Halena Rare Earth in Madagascar. According to the White House, the funding will be deployed through multiple federal agencies beyond the Defense Department, including the Department of Energy, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
https://finance.biggo.com/news/9ca4f1e3-31f3-4b87-812c-bf5e38044524
China plans to boost annual mining capacity at Bayan Obo, the world's largest rare earth deposit, by 50% through a more than 500 million yuan (US$74 million) expansion project.
The investment will increase annual output at the Inner Mongolia mine from 10 million to 15 million metric tons, according to project documents.
The expansion, operated by Baogang Group, includes a larger open-pit operation, a new eastern mining pit, upgraded transport infrastructure and intelligent mining systems such as 5G-enabled vehicle dispatch and slope monitoring.
Bayan Obo is one of China's most strategically important mineral assets. The deposit contains an estimated 600 million metric tons of iron ore alongside rare earths, fluorite, niobium, scandium and thorium.
"Bayan Obo's rare earth resources have been the dominant source of global rare earth production since the 1990s," Li Yang, a leading geologist at Peking University, said in an interview, the South China Morning Post reported.
Rare earth from a mine in Southeast Asia. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Chinh
The project is primarily intended to increase iron ore production, with rare earths, which are essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, advanced electronics and defense technologies, recovered as a by-product.
China remains the world's largest holder of rare earth reserves, with an estimated 44 million metric tons of rare earth oxide equivalent, accounting for 51.8% of the world's identified reserves of more than 85 million metric tons, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The country also produces nearly 70% of global rare earth oxides, making it the dominant supplier in the global rare earth supply chain, according to Mining.com.au.
The expansion increases China's mining flexibility but does not automatically translate into higher rare earth production.
The country regulates rare earth mining and downstream processing through annual production quotas, meaning processing capacity, government allocations and commercial economics ultimately determine how much separated rare earth oxide reaches the market, according to Interesting Engineering.
Li and his team reported recently that Bayan Obo's underground rare earth resources could be several times larger than the current estimated reserves of 100 million metric tons.
However, larger geological resources do not necessarily lead to higher production because mining costs, technical challenges and China's quota-based management system continue to constrain output, he said.
