Connect with us

Published

on

Smoke billows in the distance from an oil refinery following an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran on June 17, 2025.

Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images

Analysts are struggling to predict the extent to which Israel and Iran’s escalating conflict could influence oil prices.

Israel’s surprise attack on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure on Friday has been followed by five days of spiraling warfare between the regional foes.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for an “unconditional surrender” from Tehran, warning Washington’s patience was wearing thin.

Energy markets are weighing the likelihood of direct U.S. involvement in the conflict, as well as the potential for major supply disruptions — particularly worst-case scenarios, such as Iran blocking the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

John Evans, an analyst at oil broker PVM, said Wednesday that a “blanket of unease” had descended upon oil markets in recent days.

“Our market is settling into a world where missile exchanges are commonplace but the cynicism of it being normal has yet to set in because of how easily the situation could escalate,” Evans said in a research note.

Iran’s ongoing retaliatory attacks with ballistic missiles towards Israel are seen from Tel Aviv, Israel on June 17, 2025. Iran has resumed ballistic missile operations in response to Israeli attacks.

Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images

Israel’s Bazan oil refinery complex sustained damage from an Iranian attack earlier this week, while an Israeli airstrike at the South Pars field, the world’s largest gas field, prompted Tehran to partially suspend production. The South Pars gas field is shared between Iran and Qatar.

“The situation is as fluid as the underlying commodity it mostly affects and while there is a fraternal ‘your guess is [as] good as mine’ in future price divination, positioning will continue to be at least defensively long,” PVM’s Evans said.

The chief executives of oil companies of TotalEnergiesShell, and EnQuest told CNBC on Tuesday that further attacks on critical energy infrastructure could have serious consequences for global supply and prices.

‘It is a roulette’

Oil prices, which have jumped in recent days, were trading in mixed territory on Wednesday.

International benchmark Brent crude futures with August delivery stood little changed at $76.43 per barrel at 12:48 p.m. London time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with July delivery, meanwhile, traded flat at $74.86 per barrel.

Per Lekander, founder of investment management firm Clean Energy Transition, described the situation for oil markets ahead of Israel’s attack on Iran last week as “bad,” given plentiful supply growth from OPEC and non-OPEC producers and soft demand.

“I was increasingly convinced we were heading for a 2014/2020 reset lower to $30-50 to get capex down and start a new cycle. In fact, the current conflict makes that outcome even more likely when [the] conflict is over as producers are now producing and hedging as much as they can,” Lekander said in a note.

“While this is going on it is a roulette. We have a $10 [per barrel] risk premium in the price which is fair given that there clearly are some interruptions (mainly Iran exports and some lower tanker loadings),” he added.

What next for oil prices?

The Schork Report flags risk of oil prices hitting as much as $123 per barrel

“We are now facing the biggest threat to the oil markets since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and perhaps even greater than the 1974 Arab oil embargo,” he added.

Schork said there was a roughly 5% chance of oil prices climbing to above $103 per barrel within the next five weeks, with much longer odds of crude soaring as high as $160 per barrel by the end of summer, if flows out of the Persian Gulf are seriously disrupted.

Continue Reading

Environment

The new Kia EV6 GT is a 650 hp powerhouse and it’s even more affordable

Published

on

By

The new Kia EV6 GT is a 650 hp powerhouse and it's even more affordable

The new EV6 GT is the fastest Kia vehicle to date, packing nearly 650 horsepower. It’s quicker than a Ferrari and less than half the cost. Kia’s first electric sports car just got a big upgrade with added power, style, in-car tech, and more “GT” than ever before. And somehow, it’s even cheaper than the outgoing model in the UK.

Meet the new Kia EV6 GT, an affordable electric sports car

In 2021, Kia introduced the EV6 GT, its most powerful production vehicle ever made, boasting 576 hp. With a significant mid-life refresh, the new model takes it to the next level.

Powered by a dual-motor AWD powertrain, the new Kia EV6 GT is now capable of producing up to 650 hp (+11% from the outgoing model) and 770 Nm (+4%) max torque.

The added power is good for a 0 to 62 mph sprint in just 3.5 seconds. It’s also equipped with a new 84 kWh battery pack, 8.5% bigger than the previous EV6 GT, providing a WLTP range of up to 279 miles.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

With 800V ultra-rapid charging capabilities, the Kia EV6 refresh can recharge from 10% to 80% in as little as 18 minutes, even with the bigger battery.

Kia-new-EV6-GT
The new Kia EV6 GT (Source: Kia UK)

Kia added a few fun features, including an enhanced GT Mode, which “unleashes the full, untapped potential of the EV6” with max power and torque at the push of a button. A dedicated neon button on the steering wheel activates the new dedicated drive mode.

The new model features the popular Virtual Gear Shift, a first for a Kia vehicle. Borrowed from the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, the feature simulates the feeling and sounds of a six-speed paddle-operated transmission.

Kia-new-EV6-GT
The new Kia EV6 GT interior (Source: Kia UK)

Kia refined the interior with “a significant overhaul,” including new materials and its next-gen infotainment system.

The new Kia connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) infotainment system features dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens in a curved panoramic setup.

Kia-new-EV6-GT-UK
Kia EV6 GT refresh interior (Source: Kia UK)

Kia opened orders for the EV6 GT refresh in the UK on Wednesday, June 18, starting at £59,985 ($80,500), a £2,690 ($3,500) price reduction from the previous model. Deliveries in the UK will begin over the next few days.

The new EV6 GT was first launched in Korea last November, starting at 72.2 million won ($50,000). According to a Kia official, the upgraded model “will become a new standard that will change the paradigm of high-performance electric vehicles.”

The 2025 EV6 GT starts at $63,800 in the US, with up to 641 hp. That’s nearly half the cost of the Porsche Taycan 4S, which starts at $119,400. It also has a built-in NACS port, allowing you to recharge at Tesla Superchargers.

Looking to test out Kia’s electric sports car for yourself? We’ve got you covered. You can use our link to find 2025 Kia EV6 GT models in your area (trusted affiliate link).

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Pro-Israel hackers destroy $90 million in Iran crypto exchange breach, analytics firm says

Published

on

By

Pro-Israel hackers destroy  million in Iran crypto exchange breach, analytics firm says

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, was hacked for more than $90 million Wednesday, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.

The funds were drained from platform wallets into addresses bearing anti-government messages explicitly referencing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, pointing to a politically motivated cyberattack, Elliptic said.

Pro-Israel hacking group Gonjeshke Darande, or “Predatory Sparrow,” claimed responsibility for the attack and said it would release the exchange’s source code. Elliptic said the exchange was offline at the time of its post.

Predatory Sparrow also claimed credit for a separate cyberattack on Iran’s state-owned Bank Sepah this week.

Fighting erupted between Israel and Iran on Friday and the countries have continued to trade missile fire. Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened the U.S. with “irreparable damage” Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump’s demand that the country surrender.

Read more CNBC tech news

Though the stolen assets have not been conclusively attributed to the group, Elliptic said the funds were sent to cryptographic addresses the hackers likely cannot control — suggesting the money was intentionally destroyed as a symbolic act rather than stolen for profit.

Elliptic’s research linked the exchange to the IRGC, a powerful branch of the military designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Canada.

Past investigations have connected the platform to sanctioned IRGC-linked ransomware operatives and individuals close to Khamenei.

Blockchain data also shows activity between the Nobitex exchange and wallets associated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis.

Elliptic said it’s continuing to monitor virtual asset flows tied to Iranian entities and has updated its compliance tools to reflect emerging threats in the region’s crypto ecosystem.

Former Mossad analyst: The ideal outcome of the conflict should be an Iran with no nuclear program

Continue Reading

Environment

U.S. Steel ceases trading on the NYSE as Japan’s Nippon finalizes takeover

Published

on

By

U.S. Steel ceases trading on the NYSE as Japan's Nippon finalizes takeover

Rolls of steel are seen before the US president speaks during a rally at US Steel – Irvin Works in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on May 30, 2025.

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. Steel shares stopped trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday after Japan’s Nippon Steel completed its acquisition of the iconic American industrial name.

President Donald Trump has insisted for weeks that the companies would form a “partnership” in which U.S. Steel would remain American owned.

But the New York Stock Exchange notified the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday that U.S. Steel’s shares would be removed from listing, after the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Steel North America.

U.S. Steel shares stopped trading at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday after Nippon completed its acquisition, according to a notice from the NYSE. The delisting will be effective on June 30, NYSE said.

Trump opposed Nippon’s bid to acquire U.S. Steel in the runup to the 2024 presidential, but he changed his mind after he took office. Trump ordered a new review of the deal in April after former President Joe Biden had blocked Nippon’s acquisition in January, citing national security concerns.

Trump announced a “partnership” between U.S. and Nippon in a May 23 post on his social media platform Truth Social, causing confusion among investors and union members about whether the structure of the original deal had changed somehow.

U.S. Steel and Nippon started adopting the president’s “partnership” language, though they never backed off from the terms of the original December 2023 merger agreement in their filings with SEC. U.S. Steel will continue to operate under its name though it will be subsidiary of Nippon.

Golden share

Trump did compel U.S. Steel and Nippon to sign a national security agreement with the U.S. government as condition for him clearing the deal.

The U.S. president will wield a “golden share” under the terms of the agreement. U.S. Steel said Wednesday that the golden share gives the president veto power over the following decisions:

  • Changing U.S. Steel’s name or moving its headquarters from Pittsburgh
  • Moving U.S. Steel outside the U.S.
  • Moving production or jobs outside the U.S.
  • Some decisions regarding the closure or idling of U.S. Steel’s domestic manufacturing facilities, trade, labor, and sourcing outside the U.S.
  • Reductions in capital investments under the national security agreement.
  • Material acquisitions of competing businesses in the U.S.

A majority of U.S. Steel’s board members and its CEO will be U.S. citizens, according to the terms of the national security agreement. Nippon also agreed that U.S. Steel will remain incorporated in the U.S.

Nippon will invest $11 billion in U.S. Steel by 2028, including $1 billion in initial spending on a greenfield project that will be completed after 2028, according to the agreement.

Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO

Continue Reading

Trending