A cargo vessel was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on August 4, the UK Maritime Trade Operations reported; a senior Iranian source told Reuters that Iran is seeking full inbound inspection authority over ships entering the strait under a temporary reopening plan being negotiated with Oman; Qatar said mediators were making progress toward ending the US-Iran war while Iran denied Trump's claim that talks were already underway
Iran's foreign ministry said on August 5 that Tehran and Oman reached an understanding on the precise geographic coordinates for a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, and that a joint announcement was being finalised; Al Jazeera reported talks were in 'final stages' and the route had been approved; Iran cautioned the agreement would not by itself guarantee security in the waterway, and said final announcement depended on certain third parties not interfering
The US military struck road bridges connecting Bandar Abbas, Iran's main southern port, to Shiraz overnight July 17, the seventh consecutive night of bombing; Iran widened its retaliation to Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Syria, including its first direct attack on a Syrian base in this conflict, while US President Donald Trump signalled openness to diplomacy
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013 and transformed it from a minor Gulf state into one of the world's wealthiest nations through natural gas revenues and an assertive foreign policy, died on July 12 aged 74; global leaders offered condolences and praised his legacy; his son, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has led Qatar since Hamad's voluntary abdication in 2013
The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan, a crossfire that again threatened the June 2026 interim deal; the IRGC said it fired 10 missiles at Jordan's Al-Azraq military air base; NATO chief Mark Rutte called US attacks 'absolutely necessary' as Trump threatened a naval blockade and to 'take over' Kharg Island; both sides accused the other of violating the June memorandum of understanding
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a joint missile and drone operation on July 8 against US military sites at Bahrain's Bandar Salman base and Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base, claiming 85 installations targeted; a Qatari LNG vessel, the Al-Rekayyat, was struck in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Qatar to hold Iran legally responsible
Iranian forces hit three commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on July 7, including Qatar's Al-Rekayyat tanker; the US launched retaliatory airstrikes; Iran then claimed strikes on 85 military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait; US President Trump declared the June MoU 'over'
Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and the UAE on July 12, expanding beyond the four states it struck earlier in the day, after the US carried out a third round of airstrikes against Iranian targets in retaliation for attacks on commercial shipping; Qatar's military intercepted incoming Iranian fire and three people were injured by shrapnel in Doha; the UAE said missiles fired at Gulf states did not enter its territory; the [[strait-of-hormuz]], formally closed by the [[irgc]] earlier the same day, was physically open to traffic but shipping was warned of a severe threat level
The largest US-Iran exchange since the January ceasefire erupted as Trump arrived at the NATO summit; Guardian Council begins succession proceedings today with Khamenei's burial in Mashhad; the July 11 Doha round is now the line between de-escalation and a new war
US special envoys traveled to Qatar on July 1 to advance the June 17 Islamabad MoU with Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman; Trump had claimed a July 1 US-Iran meeting, Iran denied it, and Qatar confirmed no direct session was planned
The JKM (Japan/Korea Marker), assessed daily by S&P Global since 2009, is the benchmark price for LNG spot cargoes delivered to Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan.
Qatar operates the world's largest single-country LNG export complex from Ras Laffan, supplying roughly a fifth of globally traded liquefied natural gas.
The narrow channel between Iran and Oman's Musandam Peninsula is the world's single most critical oil shipping chokepoint, carrying roughly 20 million barrels per day, and its security status in 2026 became the defining variable in global energy markets.
The United States became the world's largest LNG exporter in 2023, shipping chilled natural gas from nine Gulf Coast and Atlantic terminals to Europe, Asia, and beyond.
A 21 June fire at Ras Laffan's Barzan treatment plant left 13 dead, 66 hurt, 18 missing; weekly throughput fell to a fifth of normal
QatarEnergy targets H2 2026 for the first North Field East mega-train, the start of a path from 77 to 142 MTPA by 2030
A fifth Joint Oversight Committee met in April; the DRC-M23 Doha framework's key provisions remain unimplemented, Qatar, Togo, the US and the AU keep the process alive as fighting continues
The QatarEnergy-ExxonMobil terminal finally exports after a contractor bankruptcy, adding 2 Bcf/d to record US capacity
A March 2, 2026 drone strike on Ras Laffan forced Qatar to halt LNG production at the facility responsible for roughly 10% of global LNG supply; QatarEnergy pushed its North Field East expansion to at least 2027