Iran's foreign ministry said US economic measures are a "ruthless tool" intended to inflict pain and suffering on Iranians.

Aramco has sold about 4 million barrels of Arab medium and heavy crude to Chinese refiners, with loading planned in September at a location outside the Strait of Hormuz, traders said. An earlier high-sulfur cargo to China is slated to load off Oman’s coast, potentially as soon as this month. After the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed, Aramco has still moved large volumes from Yanbu via the Red Sea, but the Yanbu east–west pipeline currently carries only lighter grades, so heavier crudes are being routed through the Strait to enable exports. Vortexa analyst Emma Li said: "As long as transshipment can be completed outside the highest-risk areas, Chinese refiners are increasingly willing to take Middle East crude," and that the trend could restore traditional Middle East-to-China flows without Chinese vessels transiting dangerous waters such as the Strait of Hormuz.

New York Times, citing two people familiar with the matter, reported Meta internally forecast earlier this year it could spend up to $10 billion a year on ANTHROPIC's AI models.