Trump’s envoys are rushing to revive U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland after Iranian negotiators withdrew following Israeli air strikes in Lebanon. The Trump administration helped broker a temporary Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire to clear the way for talks to resume. A deal could lift Western sanctions on Iran and reshape expectations for global oil supply, while easing geopolitical risk could reduce demand for gold as a safe haven.

French shipping group CMA CGM has signed a memorandum of understanding with Cochin Shipyard to build six 1,700-TEU LNG-fuelled container ships, with delivery scheduled for 2029–2031. The deal marks the first time an Indian shipyard has secured an order for large LNG-powered commercial vessels. The order underscores LNG’s growing use as a practical decarbonisation option for deep-sea shipping and improves longer-term visibility for global demand for LNG as a marine fuel.

Shiptracking data show at least four empty LNG carriers owned by Qatar are sailing back toward Middle East waters and signalling Ras Laffan as their next destination, with another chartered ship also heading to the region. The movements follow damage at Ras Laffan after Iran’s missile strikes, which wiped out 17 per cent of Qatar’s LNG capacity. The Strait of Hormuz has shown limited signs of reopening after a US-Iran memorandum of understanding, but continued drone attacks have kept transit risks elevated. Qatar supplies 41.4 per cent of India’s total LNG imports, sharpening expectations that exports could restart.