MIDDLE EAST OIL FLOWS: With data for Oct 1-26, Middle Eastern *crude* exports (ex Iran) are on track to be higher in Oct than in Sept (and very close to pre-war levels (>90%) for the monthly average). After weeks of attacks against tankers and infrastructure, Iran and its proxies have failed to stop the flow. But all that recovery could be gone if the war re-starts after Nov. 3. Note I'm referring to **crude** and the flows include SoH plus all the bypass routes. Flows of clean and dirty refined products remain depressed, with little change in flows month-on-month, holding around >60% of pre-war levels (ex Iran).

Middle Eastern crude exports just climbed back to 94% of pre-war levels, even as Iran's exports sit at zero under the US naval blockade. September data from Kpler: → Total Middle East exports hit 16,972 kbpd, up from 10,477 kbpd in August → Persian Gulf exports reached 13,081 kbpd → Red Sea exports came in at 2,224 kbpd The rebound traces back to a Saudi-UAE workaround. After Houthi drone strikes knocked out Saudi's East-West pipeline on September 13, Riyadh rerouted crude that would have shipped from Yanbu back through the Gulf, using ship-to-ship transfers off Oman's Sohar port. Saudi exports through Hormuz jumped to 3.6 million bpd in September, up from about 900,000 bpd in August. UAE exports hit a matching 3.6 million bpd, above its 2025 average. Iran hasn't loaded a tanker at Kharg Island in weeks. Follow for more @MilkRoadStocks

Middle Eastern oil producers are pressing ahead with shuttling large volumes of crude out of the Persian Gulf, helping keep a lid on prices and assuaging fears of an energy-driven inflation spike, even as the Iran war drags on.

Akon reveals Middle Eastern royalty paid him $1 million for a private show "I can't say which family, but they booked me for a million dollars for a private event in the Middle East. 'My daughter's the biggest fan'. Okay, amazing. They set everything up, I had a dressing room with everything on my rider. Top notch." "The castle is so big I can't hear anything. They walk me to this huge hall with a monster stage, LED lights, lasers, everything. But there are only three chairs." "Three people came. The daughter, the son, and the wife. She's sitting in the middle just cheesing, can't wait. So we start singing Mr. Lonely. The song finishes and she goes, 'Again!' The whole hour, that's all we performed. Just Mr. Lonely on repeat."

With greater reliance on Middle Eastern #energy# supplies, #Asia# has been hardest hit by the Strait of Hormuz closures. Stronger regional coordination on energy security is needed.