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Biden Doubles Down on Sanctions in His Final Days

Sanctions have become the main news in 2025 so far, with this week seeing a tightening of US sanctions against China as the Pentagon targeted state-backed oil and shipping firms. Rumors are circulating that the outgoing Biden administration will slap further sanctions on Russia and Iran, inadvertently lifting oil prices before Donald Trump takes office on January 20. For the time being, ICE Brent futures are hovering around $77 per barrel, with a potential spike above $80 per barrel becoming an increasingly likely outcome.

China and U.S. Shape 2025 Oil Predictions

Doubts about oil demand growth will persist beyond 2024, and fears of a price slump will be there to keep them company. That’s according to some recent predictions about the state of the oil market in 2025, which see demand growing, China directing the market, and OPEC still likely to unwind its production cuts.

Is The U.S. Going To Bring This Multi-Billion Iraq Project To Fruition?

hese massive fields offered huge additional oil and associated gas feedstock to add to that which could come from Shell’s 44 percent stake in the US$17 billion 25-year Basrah Gas Company project. Shell’s design plans for Nebras were for a project that could produce at least 1.8 million metric tonnes per year (mtpa) of various petrochemicals.