Iran Attacks LPG Carrier in Hormuz, Houthi Mines Threaten Bab el-Mandeb, Energy Routes Under Pressure

At a White House press conference, when Trump was asked why he would delay action against Iran until after the midterm elections rather than act immediately, Trump said it was “possible” to act immediately. Earlier on Thursday, Trump had just made clear that the US “will not attack Iran before the midterm elections,” and said the current negotiations with Iran were “productive.”

The deteriorating situation in the Middle East is transmitting to the global economy through the energy shipping market. This week, international tanker freight rates climbed to historic peaks as the scale of exchanges of fire between the US and Iran expanded, intensifying market concerns about resurgent inflationary pressure.According to data from the Baltic Exchange, freight rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) from the Gulf of Oman to China surged this week to around 450 on the Worldscale, or 4.5 times the normal benchmark rate, equivalent to about $11.5 per barrel, setting the highest record since the route was opened.

Cobre Panama said on social media that production facilities and infrastructure remained stable after the earthquake.According to Xinhua News Agency, an earthquake above magnitude 7 struck Panama at noon local time on October 9, followed by dozens of aftershocks within hours.Cobre Panama is the largest open-pit copper mine in Central America, located on Panama's Caribbean side and operated by a subsidiary of Canada's First Quantum Minerals. With an investment of over $10 billion, it produces approximately 300,000 to 350,000 mt of copper concentrates annually.