More US air strikes
** The US has said it hit Iranian military sites over the weekend while Tehran said it responded by targeting a US base, marking the third escalation in a week around the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (Centcom) said it launched “self-defence strikes” in response to “aggressive Iranian actions”, which included a US drone being shot down over international waters.
Only if
** Iran will only sign a framework agreement with the US once concrete concessions – including the release of billions in frozen accounts – have been secured, according to its chief negotiator.
Clear rules
** Shipping executives meeting in Athens on Monday said that any peace deal worked out between the United States and Iran would need to offer clear rules allowing vessels to resume normal business via the Strait of Hormuz.
Warning
** Executives of ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX) recently warned that oil prices could skyrocket over the next two months as oil stockpiles continue draining.
US Energy
** Authorities have identified 11 people killed in an implosion at a paper manufacturing facility in Washington last week. The Longview Fire Department said Saturday that officials recovered one final body from the sight of the incident, bringing the death toll to 11.
** Exxon Mobil shareholders approve a plan to move the company’s legal headquarters from New Jersey to Texas, where a law passed last year heightens legal protections for corporations.
** A Republican appropriations bill in the U.S. House calls for hefty inspection fees for offshore wind turbines, a proposal one expert says is “another direct effort to constrain the offshore wind industry.”
** Ann Arbor, Michigan, plans to offer residents rebate checks of up to $7,500 to buy new EVs to spur adoption after federal incentives expired.
** Western Colorado tourism officials push back on the federal Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to sell oil and gas leases on tens of thousands of acres near Dinosaur National Monument, saying drilling could harm elk and diminish dark night skies.
** A federal appeals court rules that Alaska regulators can publicly disclose data from ConocoPhillips’ exploration wells in the National Petroleum Reserve after the petroleum firm had tried to keep the information under wraps.