Israel restarts limited gas exports amid ongoing conflict, Egypt still waiting
CAIRO, June 19 (Reuters) - Israel has resumed limited natural gas exports from surplus supplies, the country's Energy Ministry said on Thursday, nearly a week after shutting down two key offshore fields as Israel and Iran waged an air battle.
A ministry spokesperson told Reuters that exports are now resuming "from surpluses, after domestic needs are met."
An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan, and only "tiny volumes" reached Egypt this week.
Egyptian fertilizer producers, who were forced to halt operations due to the supply disruption, told Reuters they have yet to receive any gas but expect flows to resume next week.
The Egyptian Petroleum Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Following military escalation in the region, Israel halted exports on June 13 after closing the Leviathan field, operated by Chevron and the Karish field operated by Energean. Only the Tamar field has remained operational, supplying mainly domestic demand.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday that exports would only resume once military authorities deemed it safe.
"I don't want to use our strategic storage, so therefore, I needed to cut exports," he told Reuters.
Egypt, which has increasingly relied on Israeli gas since a domestic production decline in 2022, is scrambling to compensate for the supply gap. The country has ramped up fuel oil use in power plants and has signed deals to import over $8 billion worth of liquefied natural gas, while preparing additional floating regasification units.
Israeli gas typically accounts for up to 60% of Egypt's total gas imports and around a fifth of its total consumption, according to data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
16 minutes ago
- NBC News
Trump is relying on a small circle of advisers as he weighs Iran strikes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is increasingly relying on a small group of advisers for critical input as he weighs whether to order U.S. military action in Iran targeting its nuclear program, according to two defense officials and a senior administration official. At the same time, another senior administration official said, Trump has been crowdsourcing with an array of allies outside the White House and in his administration about whether they think he should greenlight strikes in Iran — a question that has divided his core supporters. Despite routinely asking a broader group of people what they think he should do, Trump tends to make many decisions with just a handful of administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also the interim national security adviser, the senior administration official said. Trump also leans on his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, when he weighs decisions that fall under his portfolio, the official said. As he decides whether to directly involve the United States in a war with Iran, Trump has expanded his circle in some ways while shrinking it in others. He has sidelined National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, who opposes U.S. strikes in Iran, and he has not been routinely turning to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of his decision-making process, according to the two defense officials and the senior administration official. Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell pushed back against the notion that Hegseth has not been heavily involved. "This claim is completely false. The Secretary is speaking with the President multiple times a day each day and has been with the President in the Situation Room this week," Parnell said in a statement. "Secretary Hegseth is providing the leadership the Department of Defense and our Armed Forces need, and he will continue to work diligently in support of President Trump's peace through strength agenda." Trump is listening to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command; and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the two defense officials and a former administration official said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that Trump will decide whether the United States should get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict within the next two weeks. In contrast to virtually every president before him since World War II, Trump does not rely on senior officials to carefully prepare foreign policy and military options and then discuss them with him in a structured, deliberate way, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. He discusses foreign policy with officials in his administration, as well as a myriad of foreign leaders and contacts outside the government. But those discussions are more informal and freewheeling. As a result, there are arguably fewer opportunities for officials or senior military commanders to question his assumptions or raise concerns about a course of action, the two sources said. When Trump announced last month that he was lifting sanctions on Syria after he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, senior officials were taken by surprise, the two sources with knowledge of the matter said. Treasury Department officials had no warning that he would make such an announcement, and no technical preparations had been made to carry out a step that required discussions with foreign banks and Syrian government officials, the sources said. Since he returned to the White House in January, Trump has drastically scaled back the National Security Council, which traditionally collaborates with other federal agencies to craft policy options and outline their possible consequences, particularly when it comes to possible military action.
Powys County Times
21 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Lammy to meet Iranian foreign minister as Trump steps back from military action
David Lammy will travel to Geneva on Friday for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Iran conflict. The Foreign Secretary is set to meet Abbas Araghchi alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before US President Donald Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'. The Foreign Secretary said: 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.' Adding that a 'window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution', Mr Lammy said: 'Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.' Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had urged the US to step back from military action, saying there was a 'real risk of escalation'. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Meanwhile, two Labour backbenchers pushed for a 'fresh, tough approach' to Tehran. Jon Pearce and Mike Tapp, chairman and vice-chairman respectively of Labour Friends of Israel, said the UK urgently needed 'a multifaceted diplomatic, economic and national security plan to guard against the Iranian threat and force the regime to change course'. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the pair called for tighter sanctions on Iran, the proscription of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps and a 'comprehensive diplomatic solution' that 'eliminates once and for all' Iran's nuclear threat.
Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Bank of England keeps interest rates unchanged leaving home-buyers to wait for loan cuts
STAYING PUT Bank of England keeps interest rates unchanged leaving home-buyers to wait for loan cuts Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HOME-buyers were made to wait for loan cuts as Bank chiefs held steady on interest rates. Borrowing costs were kept at 4.25 per cent yesterday as oil prices rise because of the Israel-Iran conflict and inflation remains stubbornly high. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The Bank of England has chosen to keep interest rates unchanged (pictured Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England) Credit: Reuters Businesses were also found to be increasingly reluctant to hire staff. Six members of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee voted to stick with the same rate, with the other three calling for a cut of 0.25 per cent. Bank Governor Andrew Bailey said: 'Interest rates remain on a gradual downward path, although we've left them on hold today. "The world is highly unpredictable.' Mr Bailey added: 'In the UK we are seeing signs of softening in the labour market. "We will be looking carefully at the extent to which those signs feed through to consumer price inflation.' The Tories last night said interest rates are staying higher for longer due to Labour's Jobs Tax and borrowing which is driving up inflation and killing growth. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride: 'To plug the hole they have created, we now know Rachel Reeves has a secret plan to raise taxes. "Make no mistake – more taxes are coming." Chancellor Rachel Reeves told The Times CEO Summit that she wants the Bank to set the right policy for bringing down inflation to the 2 per cent target. She added that double-digit inflation seen a few years ago 'was so challenging for businesses, but also family finances, which also has a knock on impact on business'. What is the Bank of England base rate and how does it affect me? Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
