No deal
** U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into “infinity,” while Tehran said it had made no such concession in negotiations, raising questions about the viability of their fragile peace deal.
Victory tour
** Iran called the deal it struck to end the Middle East war “a declaration of America’s defeat” on Wednesday, as the top US diplomat kicked off a tour of Gulf countries hit hardest by Tehran.
Tolls?
** Iran is, bit by bit, moving toward eventually charging tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, with a notable step forward this week. In an unusual joint statement from Iran and Oman, the two nations said they met to emphasize “their sovereignty and sovereign rights over their territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz,” and that the conversation also touched on “services that will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them in accordance with international standards.”
Deadly fire
** An explosion tore through Qatar’s key natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations after Iran bombed it during the war, causing a fire that killed at least 13 people and hurt 66 others.
US Energy
** Crude oil inventories in the United States decreased by 6.1 million barrels during the week ending June 19, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. The decrease brings commercial stockpiles to 412.1 million barrels, according to government data, which is now 7% below the five-year average for this time of year.
** The Trump administration proposes rolling back Biden-era oil and gas leasing reforms by reducing reclamation bonds for petroleum companies and authorizing noncompetitive leases.
** Chevron announces it will build a 2.7-GW gas-fired power plant, which will be co-located with a Microsoft data center in Texas and potentially use oilfield wastewater as a water source.
** Democratic governors and environmental groups are urging Congress to reject legislation to shield oil and gas majors from climate lawsuits, saying it protects an industry at the expense of taxpayers. Ten Democratic governors on Monday sent a letter to House and Senate leadership, arguing congressional proposals to grant the industry immunity from suits would restrict the authority of states and local governments to enforce their own laws.
** Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes a bill that would have blocked rural local governments from restricting small modular nuclear reactors when paired with high-load electricity users such as data centers.
