Overview
- Washington issued a 30‑day waiver allowing sales of Iranian crude loaded between March 20 and April 19, with the energy secretary saying some cargoes could reach Asian ports within three to four days.
- Iran fired two ballistic missiles toward the U.S.-UK base at Diego Garcia, but U.S. officials said one failed in flight and another was engaged by a U.S. warship, underscoring a broader theater of risk.
- Shipping data and officials reported halted or delayed transits at the Strait of Hormuz, with hundreds of vessels anchoring and roughly 22 Indian commercial ships stuck west of the chokepoint.
- India has expanded naval deployments for merchant escorts, positioning about seven warships and support vessels and moving to safeguard LPG and fuel carriers transiting the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.
- Economic pressures are building as India’s aviation minister warned airfares may rise from April 1 due to higher jet fuel costs, and the IEA cautioned supply normalization could take months if disruptions persist.