High-level US and Russian officials held talks on bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream project to resume gas sales to Europe, while Brent crude surged above $102 per barrel following a deep-Gulf tanker attack off Qatar. Meanwhile, Moscow warned that a planned Western data center in Armenia creates electricity shortage risks.
Global market
A tanker was struck by multiple projectiles 51 nautical miles north of Qatar, marking the first deep-Gulf attack in nearly a month and driving Brent crude above $102.50 per barrel. In response to escalating risks in the Strait of Hormuz, Kpler reported crude transit through the waterway dropped 27% to 10.1 million barrels per day. Compounding supply anxieties, energy majors Shell, Chevron, and BP began shutting production on nine offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Isaias. Despite wartime volatility, Financial Times reported that Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, and Chevron are preparing new capital investments in the Middle East, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated non-Iranian Hormuz transit has recovered to 80% of pre-war levels.
Russia & CIS
Senior US and Russian officials held talks regarding an American investor acquiring a stake in the Nord Stream pipeline project to resume European gas deliveries, Reuters reported, citing participation by US business envoy Jared Kushner and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. In domestic innovation, Gazprom Neft launched Russia’s first indigenous complex for well productivity enhancement, while German firm Advanced Nuclear Fuels prepared to produce Russian nuclear fuel in Germany. On infrastructure security, drone strikes hit a Yandex data center in Ryazan and a Gazprom refinery in Bashkortostan, while Russian authorities proposed resuming construction of the Katun (1.6 GW) and Chemal (300 MW) hydro plants in Altai.
Armenia
Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexey Shevtsov warned that a planned Western data center in Armenia creates severe electricity deficit risks, as its power demands exceed national grid capacity. In regional integration, EAEU regulations taking effect in 2027 will require online marketplaces to submit monthly sales data for Armenian goods. Despite global crude surging to $102.50 per barrel and Gulf shipping disruptions, retail prices for petrol, diesel, and compressed natural gas in Armenia remain stable. Natural gas imports from Russia and generation at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant proceed under long-term agreements shielding the domestic market from price spikes recorded by international market price assessments.