Ports, shipping, aviation cargo, warehousing and trade
Oman Air has announced the launch of a new direct daily service between Muscat and Abu Dhabi starting July 9. The route marks the Omani carrier's 49th destination globally and its tenth destination within the GCC. The service aims to bolster regional connectivity, passenger transit, tourism, and bilateral trade.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has sold at least 30 million barrels of spot crude to Asian refiners and trading houses, trade sources reported. Chinese purchasers Unipec and Rongsheng Petrochemical secured up to 10 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude. The transactions covered Das, Upper Zakum, and Umm Lulu grades for June to August loading.
The United Arab Emirates and Turkey have barred Iran's two largest private lenders from operating and grounded Iranian airlines amid an intensifying US economic pressure campaign. The UAE also moved to halt commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Tehran following maritime security tensions. The measures target a critical trade partner that supplied 31% of Iran's imports in 2024.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that global enforcement efforts have prompted regional measures against Iranian banking and aviation sectors. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority suspended all Iranian carrier flights, while the Central Bank of the UAE implemented regulatory actions against local branches of Bank Melli. Authorities in Turkey and Oman also enacted flight and banking restrictions amid US warnings of secondary sanctions.
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