Iran’s Supreme National Security Council laid out conditions for resuming negotiations with Washington as regional military conflict intensified across the Middle East. Meanwhile, Saudi air defense forces intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile targeted at Riyadh, while European nations began supplying Ukraine with critical power generation equipment ahead of winter.
Global market
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei outlined Tehran’s demands for restarting diplomatic talks with the United States, Al Jazeera reported, as Houthi forces claimed new attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure. In Saudi Arabia, the impact of a pipeline strike near Yanbu continues reshaping crude flows and driving up tanker freight rates. Meanwhile, Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi confirmed that Qatar will not construct natural gas pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. In maritime logistics, Drewry’s Intra-Asia Container Index rose 6% to a record $1,402 per 40ft container, marking its fourth consecutive weekly high amid ongoing supply chain disruptions.
Russia & CIS
European countries secretly began delivering power station spare parts and heating equipment to Ukraine for winter preparation, Bloomberg reported. In domestic market logistics, Russian state procurement of petrol and diesel fuel grew 16–35% in volume and 30–42% in monetary value during January–August 2026, according to Vedomosti. On export routes, Kazakh operator KazTransOil increased crude oil shipments to Novorossiysk to 460,000 tons in August, a 27.8% increase compared to July. Meanwhile, Gazprom Neft Head of Technological Development Bogdan Kostyuk announced that the company reduced its technology project implementation timeline to 1.5 years.
Armenia
Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi’s statement rejecting bypass pipelines around the Strait of Hormuz drew close coverage in Armenian media, news.am reported. Armenian outlets also highlighted discussions regarding attacks on energy infrastructure and regional transit safety. Despite heightened geopolitical friction and rising global freight costs, retail prices for petrol, diesel, and compressed natural gas in Armenia remain stable. Fuel supply continuity and operations at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant proceed without disruption under EAEU trade mechanisms, shielding domestic consumers from global market volatility recorded by international market price assessments.