Middle East downstream news

Data released by Wood Mackenzie shows the Middle East conflict disrupted 80 million tpy of Gulf LNG exports, yet power markets absorbed the shock through fuel diversification.

Emerson has announced the successful deployment of an AI-driven optimisation solution for Aramco, with the integration of Emerson’s Aspen Hybrid Models™ into Aramco’s existing refinery planning framework.

The Dated Brent spot price increased to a premium of more than US$25/bbl compared with the front-month Brent futures contract in early April, the US EIA has reported.

IGS has reported that a growing share of oil and gas infrastructure across Saudi Arabia and the UAE is operating beyond its intended design life, an issue intensified by regional disruption.

North American crude replaces Middle East flows as Europe faces structural diesel deficit while exporting gasoline surplus eastward, reports Wood Mackenzie.

Crude oil and petroleum product prices increased significantly in 1Q26, particularly following military action in the Middle East on 28 February and the subsequent de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, reports the EIA.

Wood Mackenzie report that prolonged disruption to Middle East energy supplies could accelerate a structural shift in global energy systems, halving oil and gas import dependence by 2050 and reducing oil demand by 20% and gas demand by 10% relative to the base case.

Daniela Hathorn, Senior Market Analyst, Capital.com, offers commentary on the latest developments in the Middle East, and how this is likely to affect global oil markets.

The US Energy Information Administration published its April Short-Term Energy Outlook this week, examining the implications of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In 2025, the US imported an average of 490 000 bpd of crude oil from the Middle East Gulf region – Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, the US EIA has reported.