U.S. EIA implied crude oil demand for the week to Aug. 14: 19.794 mln b/d, prior 18.655 mln b/d.

Pony.ai (02026.HK) CFO Wang Haojun said the company’s overseas deployment plan now exceeds 4,000 Robotaxis. He highlighted a recent joint plan with Uber to deploy more than 2,000 Robotaxis across five major European cities, calling that an initial phase and saying larger deployments are likely as the European Robotaxi market matures. Pony.ai said it is confident it will exceed its 2026 Robotaxi revenue target and is on track to deploy 3,500 Robotaxis across more than 20 cities by end-2026.

In an interview broadcast Aug. 18, Iran's foreign minister Araghchi said recent military clashes involving Iran, the U.S. and Israel demonstrate that reliance on external forces and bases cannot guarantee Gulf states' security. He said the presence of U.S. troops and bases not only fails to provide security but is a destabilising factor, and that countries without U.S. bases are safer. Araghchi added Iran is not seeking only a ceasefire but a complete end to the war, and does not want a cycle of short truces followed by renewed fighting.