Authored by Irina Slav via OilPrice.com,
Stronger appetite for Middle Eastern crude grades from China and India has added upward pressure on prices for these grades, pushing the Dubai futures close to $100 per barrel, Bloomberg reported today, citing unnamed traders.
Demand for Middle Eastern oil is especially strong from refining majors such as Indian Oil Corp. and PetroChina, as well as refiners in South Korea and Japan, the report said. This is despite the latest escalation between the United States and Iran, with Saudi Arabia's oil exports dropping to the lowest since 2017, according to data from ship-trackers including Kpler and Vortexa.
A further price rally may well be on the table as some cargoes face delays from August to September and October, Bloomberg also noted. At the time of writing, Murban futures, the UAE benchmark, was trading at $106.10 per barrel, and DME Oman, the Middle East sour crude benchmark for Asia, was trading at $99.18 per barrel.
The stronger demand comes despite depressed flows of oil via the Strait of Hormuz. Over the past week, the average daily volume of oil making its way via the waterway stood at between 6 and 8 million barrels.
Asian buyers, meanwhile, are also stepping up purchases from other regions, notably Brazil, Canada, and Argentina, with China and India also buying more Russian crude.
While Middle Eastern oil prices rise, Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate dipped yesterday, reflecting uncertainty about developments in the Middle East even as mutual strikes between the United States and Iran continue. According to some analysts, the dip in prices came in response to a pause in the strikes. It appears traders believe the pause could extend, despite a statement by President Trump that "It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want."
Tyler Durden Fri, 09/04/2026 - 18:25The White House has returned to its prior talking point that the war against Iran shouldn't be called a war. In earlier stages of the conflict President Trump had applied various monikers that stopped far short, from an "excursion" to a "little detour" to a "stopover" to a mere limited "military operation".
A full five months ago he had proclaimed, "We had to take a little detour. Won’t be long." Various phrases like this have been repeated on a monthly basis, as what the American public was 'assured' was supposed to be a "four to six week-long" operation has blown past the six month mark this week. And yet, the administration is back at it, despite new heavy fire having been exchanged between the US and Iran just in the last few days.
Vice President JD Vance in Thursday remarks rejected the use of the word "war" to describe the conflict with Iran and declined to predict whether it would be over by November's midterm elections. At the moment Republicans hold narrow majorities in Congress, but now must face down voters amid an increasingly unpopular quagmire conflict in the Middle East. Vance in taking questions from reporters sought to reason that, "Right now, there is no active shooting."
JD Vance praises Trump for winning wars, says moments later of Iran that "I wouldn't call it a war" 🥴 pic.twitter.com/2RAoFtwa9M
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 3, 2026Ironically, it was a mere few hours prior to Vance's comments that Iran had once again fired on US Gulf ally Kuwait, also amid some reports that the UAE was targeted as well. And the day prior to that, US bases in Jordan were rocked by missiles once again, though Jordan said it intercepted most. Tehran claimed high casualties among US forces, while the Pentagon has sought to bat this down, denying that casualties resulted.
The Vice President characterized this latest flare-up as a US "responsibility" to conduct strikes on Iran, given it has been targeting commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance also notably didn't want to set "artificial timelines." He responded to a reporter by positing: "But when you ask, 'When will this end?' You're asking me a question like, 'When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships?'" Vance said. "I think the reality is, I don't know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians."
But the reality remains - the US is still fighting for a return to the pre-war status of the Strait of Hormuz, which had before February 28 been open to all international shipping, and with no 'fee' or 'tax' imposed by Tehran or other regional nations.
Recall too that back in May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio articulated with crystal clarity that the goal of the war in Iran is to restore the Hormuz Strait "back to the way it was" before Trump initiated Operation Epic Fury.
Back to the way it was... --Marco Rubio, May 5, 2026
When Vance went back-and-forth with reporters this week over the war's timeline, November elections, and potential impact on the GOP's future, the White House was already battling some terrible optics.
Increasingly, even mainline normie conservative publications like Newsmax are highlighting how fallen and wounded service members are being politicized at a moment the US can't decide whether it's in a war or not:
The administration in July faced scrutiny after it reclassified four fallen soldiers as well as dozens of wounded troops in its Defense Casualty Analysis System, which Pentagon officials have repeatedly pointed to as the definitive source on the numbers of dead and wounded from the conflict.
Those killed or wounded in fighting after a brief ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran fell apart were classified in a new category called "Overseas Operations" after initially being tallied in the totals from the war.
Also this week there was this alarming and disturbing story in the esteemed Military.com: Widow of Airman Killed in Iran War Claims She Was Denied Death Benefits.
"The Air Force recently told me that because we haven't officially declared war, my kids and I aren't eligible for some benefits," the widow of deceased US Air Force Major John "Alex" Klinner wrote. He died in action over Iraq connected to Iran operations.
On CNBC early this week, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was discussing the Iran war when he asserted: "There haven’t been American deaths. It’s really been an economic choke-out."
According to the Pentagon's own official tally, a total of 18 US service members have been killed in action against Iran to date. Some pundits have long suspected it could be more, and that the Pentagon could indeed continue to be playing political games in terms of how to 'classify' ongoing or potential deaths. Lutnick's words to CNBC were shocking enough for Trump to directly intervene, claiming that he had mistakenly had "Venezuela on his mind"...
President Trump says Howard Lutnick “had Venezuela on his mind” when Lutnick said there have been no American deaths in the Iran war. https://t.co/BTEgyhOIgN pic.twitter.com/WWe6j1NWdq
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) September 3, 2026After all of the above, Trump again took to Truth Social to then berate the media and its critical coverage of the Iran war and Hormuz crisis. He called journalists questioning the White House narrative 'treasonous scum'.
Trump particularly singled out recent and ongoing reports of US missile and interceptor shortages, which he has slammed as false. He went on to claim that the US has "virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition".
Probably the bulk of American voters aren't buying it. Is all of the above evidence of serving and protecting America First? We haven't heard this phrase out of the administration in a long while.
Tyler Durden Fri, 09/04/2026 - 18:00Authored by Jonathan Turley via JonathanTurley.org,
There is an intriguing story out of Brazil where Joao Arajuo, 57, a plastic surgeon known as "Dr. Frankenstein," resurfaced after cutting an ankle monitor and fleeing the United States. The infamous plastic surgeon mocked the police and recounted how easy it was to flee the country. However, in detailing his escape, he implicated Brazilian diplomats in actively assisting the flight, making them accessories after the fact.
Araujo was awaiting trial for a variety of crimes linked to cosmetic surgeries, including procedures that were botched and left patients disfigured. These treatments included liposuction, fillers and laser treatments.
The 14 counts included felonies for grand theft, practicing medicine without a license, and fraud.
However, Araujo decided not to wait for a trial: "When I decided to leave, I simply cut off the electronic ankle bracelet. I took [Interstate] 95. I took a boat owned by an acquaintance and went to [the island of] Bimini [in the Bahamas], [then to] Nassau, Panama, Rio de Janeiro."
He offered details that could be used to identify any collaborators: "I left at 4:30 a.m. I arrived in [the island of] Bimini [in the Bahamas] early. From Bimini, I took a plane at 230 p.m. I arrived in Nassau 40 minutes later. Because the flight was fully booked to Panama, I had to spend the night" before going "from Panama to Rio de Janeiro."
So Araujo had his friend sail him to the Bahamas and then flew to Rio. He celebrated by mocking the police. However, he implicated Brazilian diplomats in making the escape:
"Any idiot knows how to leave the United States. I had all the support of the Brazilian consulate ... They are all my friends. Both the Brazilian federal police and the Brazilian embassy gave me all the support in Miami."
The direct assistance of diplomats in the flight of a fugitive would be a serious breach of diplomatic status.
For any diplomat, this would be the knowing commission of a criminal act as an accessory after the fact.
While diplomats have immunity, they could be declared persona non grata under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Araujo was required to surrender his only known passport from Brazil. That means he somehow obtained a new one. It is unclear whether the passport was fake or whether his "friends" took the extraordinary step of issuing him a new passport to facilitate his flight.
While he did not name his "friends," he noted in a prior interview that "the consul in Miami is my friend" and used the first names of both the current general consul and his recently departed predecessor. The acting consul general in Miami, Andre Odenbreit Carvalho left in May. He also referenced Marcelo Ivo, the Brazilian Federal Police Liaison for the Consulate in Miami.
Notably, according to Steven Nelson at the New York Post, the US government in April asked Ivo to leave his post "in a reciprocal action after Brasilia booted an unnamed American official in apparent retaliation for US immigration officials briefly detaining a former Brazilian congressman."
Tensions between the countries are already high under leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The Trump Administration previously canceled the visa of the Brazilian ambassador, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.
The administration has also hit Brazil with massive tariffs in a trade war.
While Araujo expressed a desire to live in Europe, the United States will likely seek an Interpol warrant that would expose him to arrest. The Brazilian Constitution bars the extradition of its citizens. However, even if Brazil does not extradite him, he will have trouble traveling. Even those "idiots" that he attacked could track and arrest him in international transit.
Tyler Durden Fri, 09/04/2026 - 17:40