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Washington, June 26, 2026 – US President Donald Trump said that Iran has requested a meeting that will be held in the Gulf state of Qatar on Tuesday, despite an earlier denial from Tehran that talks were planned. “IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday. Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday denied reports that Iranian and American technical teams will meet this week to discuss the implementation of the deal to end the Middle East war.   (AFP)

Lagos, June 26, 2026 – The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is importing two cargoes of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates. This is the first time the refinery is importing crude from the Middle East. According to S&P Global Commodity Insights, the cargoes are expected to arrive in Nigeria in the coming weeks. Before now, the refinery has depended mostly on Nigeria and United States for its crude imports. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) was supplying over 70 percent of Dangote Refinery’s crude oil needs under the naira-for-crude …

Lagos, June 29, 2026 – Dr. Odunayo Ani, the President of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria, has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders in Africa to ensure sustainable growth of the sector. She also called for policies that could make Africa’s maritime and Blue Economy translate into measurable outcomes that promote inclusive growth, enhanced trade and sustainable development. Ani made the call at the 8th WISTA Africa Regional Conference, hosted by WISTA Nigeria in Lagos with the theme, “From Policy to Progress: Women Delivering Africa’s Shipping and Trade Energy Future.”  …

Tehran, June 29, 2026 – Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz persisted at a reduced level after attacks on two ships raised fresh concerns about the ability and willingness of shipowners to traverse the waterway. A handful of vessels made open transits over the weekend, according to tracking data. Among them, two very large crude carriers made their way into the Persian Gulf without cargoes, while a French-flagged container ship and two laden oil tankers left the inland sea, the data show. Despite the drop in observed transits at …

Mecca, June 29, 2026 – A helicopter belonging to Saudi ​oil giant Aramco crashed on Sunday ‌in Ras Tanura on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast on the Gulf, west of the Strait of ​Hormuz, killing 14 nationals, the state ​news agency reported, adding that the ⁠cause was unknown. Aramco had resumed crude oil loadings on Friday at its Ras Tanura terminal ​in the Gulf after they were halted for nearly four months. “The relevant authorities have launched a ​full investigation to determine the cause ​of the crash,” the state news agency …

……to sanction profiteers  Abuja, June 29, 2026 – The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has expressed concern over undue exploitation in the local oil market. It said it had discovered undue exploitation of consumers from an ongoing surveillance of the downstream petroleum market. FCCPC said in a statement on Sunday, that a review of the gantry prices of local refiners, marketers, depot operators and retail outlet operators revealed token reductions in prices that are not commensurate with the steep fall in crude prices in the global market.  Reacting …

Singapore, June 29, 2026 – Oil prices rose on Monday following days of tit-for-tat strikes by ​the U.S. and Iran that underscored the fragility of their interim peace ‌deal and again slowed energy shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures climbed 45 cents, or 0.6%, to $72.44 a barrel at 0627 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $70.05 a barrel, ​up 82 cents, or 1.2%. “There’s still plenty of risk facing the oil market. Even ​so, participants appear to be … focusing on what a …

Lagos, June 26, 2026 – The Nigeria currency, Naira, depreciated further against the dollar to N1,380.1079 to the dollar at the official foreign exchange market on Thursday. The naira exchange rate at the market on Wednesday was N1,380.0775 to the dollar. Bid rates quoted at the market on Wednesday ranged from N1,376.0000 to N1,390.5000 to the dollar. Meanwhile, the naira is being traded at the black market between N1, 385 and N1, 400 to the dollar.

Teheran, June 26, 2026 – A cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday near the Oman coast, according to a U.S. official. The vessel suffered damage to its bridge, but no one was injured, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre said.Secretary of State Marco Rubio again rejected the idea of Iran charging vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Oman said any system it creates with Iran to manage maritime traffic will not involve fees, but Iran was less definitive, saying it would work …

By Paul Ejime Abuja, June 26, 2026 – After Guinea-Bissau’s former president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, staged a self-coup in November 2025 to avoid an election defeat and handed power to his military allies, ECOWAS has been engaged in frenetic diplomatic damage control to restore some sanity in the country, notorious for its history of political instability.  However, the regional peace efforts have been marred by internal division within ECOWAS, with some leaders, notably from Senegal and Sierra Leone, the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, siding …