Kuwait Declares Force Majeure on Oil Shipments Amid Renewed Hormuz Tensions

email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Kuwait City: Kuwait has declared force majeure on some shipments of crude oil and refined petroleum products after fresh disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz prevented certain vessels from entering the Gulf.

The move comes as regional tensions intensified following reports that the United States seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the strategic waterway.

According to Reuters, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has informed customers that it is invoking contractual clauses allowing delays or withholding of some scheduled deliveries. The measure is not expected to completely halt exports.

The latest escalation follows a volatile weekend in which the Strait briefly reopened before closing again after Iran linked any reopening of the route to the lifting of a US naval blockade targeting Iranian oil exports.

Iran’s foreign ministry said it currently has no plans for a new round of talks following the vessel seizure.

US President Donald Trump said a delegation led by Vice President JD Vance was heading to Islamabad for discussions, while Pakistani authorities reportedly tightened security in the capital.

Iran has warned it cannot guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz if its own crude exports remain restricted, saying maritime security cannot be separated from pressure on Iranian oil flows.

Shipping traffic in and around the strait has again been disrupted, with vessels rerouting and operators reassessing risks through one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

Oil prices, which fell late last week, rebounded in early trading as markets reacted to renewed supply concerns.

Additional pressure emerged after Iran-aligned Houthis threatened the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising fears over alternative Middle East export routes.