LONDON — The price of oil surged Friday on concerns that Iran might respond to the killing of its top general by the United States by disrupting global supplies of energy from the Mideast. If sustained, the rise in oil prices could lead to more expensive car fuel, heating and...
Japan OKs Divisive Plan to Send Naval Troops to Mideast
TOKYO — Japan on Friday approved a contentious plan to send its naval troops to the Middle East to ensure the safety of Japanese ships transporting oil to the energy-poor country that heavily depends on imports from the region. The Cabinet's decision reflects tensions that have escalated between Iran and...
Chevron Will Write Down Assets by at Least $10 Billion
SAN RAMON — Chevron Corp. said Tuesday it will book a charge of at least $10 billion because lower long-term prices for oil and natural gas will reduce the value of its assets. More than half the write-down is related to gas drilling operations in Appalachia. The huge fourth-quarter write-down...
Global Carbon Pollution Continues to Rise, but More Slowly
WASHINGTON — The world continues to increase the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide it pumps into the air, but it’s not rising as fast as in the previous couple years. Led by big jumps from China and India, the world is projected to spew 40.57 billion tons of carbon dioxide...
California Halts Fracking Permits in Oil Producer Crackdown
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom cracked down on oil producers Tuesday, halting approval of hundreds of fracking permits until independent scientists can review them and temporarily banning another drilling method that regulators believe is linked to one of the largest spills in state history. Listen to this article: The state...
Iran Discovers New Oil Field With Over 50 Billion Barrels
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has discovered a new oil field in the country's south with over 50 billion barrels of crude, its president said Sunday, a find that could boost the country's proven reserves by a third as it struggles to sell energy abroad over U.S. sanctions. The announcement by...
US Role in Syria Grows More Complex With Trump Claim to Oil
WASHINGTON — By claiming a right to Syria's oil, President Donald Trump has added more complexity — as well as additional U.S. forces and time — to an American military mission he has twice declared he was ending so the troops could come home. Extending the mission to secure eastern...
Iran Says Missiles Strike Its Oil Tanker off Saudi Arabia
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Friday two missiles struck one of its oil tankers traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia, a mysterious assault not immediately corroborated that still spiked oil prices amid months of heightened tensions at sea across the wider Mideast. There was no...
Fresno State Professor Emeritus Weaves Swashbuckling Tale of Iran Tanker Conflict
U.S. officials were determined to keep a tanker that they thought was full of Iranian oil from reaching war-torn Syria, putting cash into the hands of Iran's government and fuel into Syria's, and violating European Union sanctions on Syria. What transpired was a story of modern-day attempted piracy, author and...
Iran Poised for Faster Centrifuges as Nuclear Deal Collapses
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran was poised Thursday to begin work on advanced centrifuges that will enrich uranium faster as the 2015 nuclear deal unravels further and a last-minute French proposal offering a $15-billion line of credit to compensate Iran for not being able to sell its crude oil abroad because...