Aramco CEO warned that major unplanned or prolonged refinery outages could place further strain on the global energy supply system. Asian countries have already been affected: regional crude imports fell by about 6 mln bpd at the peak of the crisis.

A distinguished foreign-policy fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said the market-relevant negotiations are Iran-Oman consultations over the Strait of Hormuz, not US‑Iran peace talks. He said Iran has concluded direct talks with the US are not worth pursuing because it cannot trust US commitments, noting Trump has threatened to destroy Iran five or six times but backed down at the 11th hour, and that it is therefore hard to believe any US‑Iran agreement on nuclear or Strait of Hormuz issues is forthcoming.

China ChiNext up over 6%, Shenzhen Component up over 3.5%, Shanghai Composite up 0.6%; more than 3,700 A‑shares advanced.