Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Ansari said on Aug. 25 that U.S. sanctions on Iran are unilateral, not U.N. or multilateral measures, and should be questioned by those who imposed them. He urged international pressure on Israel to honor agreed plans

China Securities Index (CSI) today launched a 40-index Commodity Futures Sector series, led by industrial and agricultural & livestock subindices. The indices are designed to track subsector futures price trends and returns, provide benchmarks for performance evaluation and attribution, and are intended to help steadily bolster China’s pricing power and international influence in global commodities markets.

Energy 1. Russian oil supply disrupted; Indian refiners turn to other regions for sourcing. 2. Sources: Russia plans to extend diesel export ban until the end of September. 3. Sources: Some oil companies will avoid using vessels blacklisted by Iran. 4. Kazakhstan's Energy Minister: 2026 oil production plan is now 96 million tons. 5. Attacks in Ukraine disrupt Russian oil flows; crude oil exports drop to 3.46 million barrels per day. 6. UK energy regulator OFGEM: Energy price cap will increase by 4% from October 2026. 7. According to Interfax: Kazakhstan's Kondensat refinery will process Russian crude oil and ship 30% of its refined products to Russia. 8. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy: Oil production plans will be adjusted due to the attack on the Caspian Pipeline Union. Oil production losses will reach 3.5 million tons. 9. Preliminary data shows that Nigeria's average exports of its four main crude oil grades in October are estimated at 932,000 barrels per day, down from 952,000 barrels per day in September. 10. Sources: Schlumberger has signed a service contract with Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA, granting it access to Venezuelan oil field data. Agriculture/Mining 1. Copper prices continue to rise, approaching historical highs, with short-term supply remaining tight. 2. CME Group announced that the first transaction of US zinc futures has been completed through the CME Globex electronic trading platform. 3. Russia is considering suspending floating export tariffs on wheat, barley, and corn, potentially until the end of 2026. 4. Shanghai: Expanding trading volume for key metals such as copper and aluminum, and accelerating the development of futures product series for emerging metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. 5. Hong Kong SAR Government: Hong Kong's net gold exports to the mainland in July were 56.193 tons, compared to 50.679 tons in the previous month. Hong Kong's total gold exports to mainland China in July were 75.457 tons, compared to 78.147 tons in the previous month. Iran Situation 1. US media: The US will not take military action against Iran for the time being. 2. Ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday was lower than the 10-day average. 3. Iran says an understanding has been reached on a temporary shipping route in the strait, limited to merchant ships only. 4. Russian media, citing sources: The US and Iran have reached an agreement on the terms of a ceasefire agreement. 5. Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will not open immediately and will finalize a new permanent shipping route with Oman within 60 days. Other 1. The US is considering escalating trade sanctions after Canada took retaliatory measures. 2. Panama Canal Authority: Due to changes in global trade supply and demand, market costs for Panama Canal transit auctions have increased. Some ships transiting the Panama Canal paid more than $1 million in auctions to meet specific market demands.