🛢🇷🇺🇵🇰 Russian oil to help Pakistan navigate Strait of Hormuz energy crisis – expert

A Russian vessel carrying 733,000 barrels of crude oil is expected to arrive shortly at the Omani port of Duqm, where the shipment will be transferred to a smaller tanker for delivery to Pakistan's Port Qasim by June 20, global energy expert Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh tells Sputnik.

Pakistan has traditionally depended on crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

However, even before the current crisis, the country began diversifying its supply sources, including the introduction of Russian crude into its energy mix.

According to the Pakistan Business Council, every $10 increase in the price of oil widens the country's current account deficit by an estimated $1.5 to $2B.

Should prices reach $100 per barrel, the deficit could expand by $5 to $7B on an annual basis — potentially erasing the $2B surplus Pakistan recorded in 2025.

If disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz persist, fuel rationing may become unavoidable, Dr. Salameh warns.

Video source: Social media

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💬 Iran’s strikes expose hollow US security guarantees - Ret. Colonel and West Asia expert

Almost all the Gulf states, including the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, that host American military bases or troops, have been targeted by Iran in the latest military confrontation between the Islamic Republic and the US and Israel.

The current war between arch-foes Iran and Israel and its all-weather friend, the US, has laid bare the hollow security assurances that the Gulf nations have been assured of for decades, retired Colonel Rajeev Agarwal, a West Asia expert and a Senior Research Consultant at the New Delhi-based think tank, the Chintan Research Foundation, told Sputnik.

"It was under this illusion that a large number of Gulf countries had agreed to not only buy very expensive American weapon platforms but also host American military bases in the region," he said.

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🇺🇸🇮🇱🇮🇷 US-Israel war against Iran: Day-by-day

Check out our map outlining the key developments of the conflict.

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❌🇺🇸 From Carter to now: collapse of America’s promise

The story of American security guarantees goes back to the period of 1979-80, soon after the Iranian revolution, when most countries in the region felt threatened by the Islamic regime in Iran.

At his 1980 State of the Union Address, in reaction to the 1979 Iranian revolution, then-US President Jimmy Carter had assured the region, stating, "An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force".

The failure of the US to protect its military bases and the host Gulf countries is, therefore, a major embarrassment for the US, retired Colonel Rajeev Agarwal, a West Asia expert and a Senior Research Consultant at the New Delhi-based think tank, the Chintan Research Foundation, told Sputnik.

💬 "The fact that Iranian missiles have caused large-scale damage, including the Fifth Fleet HQ and the Naval base in Bahrain as well as military bases in Kuwait, Doha, UAE, Jordan, etc., is proof. In fact, on the night of 1-2 March, the US base in Erbil, Iraq, which is basically a huge ammunition depot, was targeted and completely destroyed," the Indian Army veteran underscored.

Strikes into the Gulf countries are proof that the security guarantees offered by the US are ineffective and that the Gulf countries cannot rely on American security assurances for their safety in the future, he added.

In fact, the strikes into Doha, Qatar, lay bare the iron-clad security guarantees that the US had assured Qatar after Israel had fired missiles into Doha in September 2025, targeting the Hamas leadership, the defense commentator stressed.

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🚨🇷🇺🇮🇷 Putin holds call with Iranian President Pezeshkian

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and once again expressed condolences over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, members of his family, other officials, and civilians during US-Israel aggression against Iran, the Kremlin said.

Putin reaffirmed Russia’s position calling for an immediate ceasefire and a return to political and diplomatic settlement of issues surrounding Iran and the wider Middle East.

Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its solidarity with the Iranian people defending their sovereignty, the Kremlin added, noting that contacts between Moscow and Tehran will continue.

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🗣 Defense firms agree to quadruple output of 'exquisite' weapons — Trump

President Donald Trump said major American defense manufacturers have agreed to quadruple production of what he called “Exquisite Class” weaponry following a meeting on production schedules.

💬 “Expansion began three months prior to the meeting, and Plants and Production of many of these Weapons are already under way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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🚨🇷🇺 US may ease sanctions on Russian oil during Middle East conflict — Bessent

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US may further relax restrictions on Russian oil to help stabilize global supply during the current US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

💬 “We may unsanction other Russian oil,” Bessent said, adding the Treasury is considering steps to release “hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels… on the water” to bring relief to the market.

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📹 Red Crescent rescuers and firefighting teams provide aid and searching for their compatriots following US-Israeli strikes on residential areas of Tehran

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