Booted out of r/Economics and the mods suggested this news is a better fit here on r/oilandgas .

What if Washington wants an energy problem just big enough to squeeze China and Europe, sell more American energy, and gain leverage, but not big enough to blow up our own economy?

Let’s play a game. Completely fictional. Somewhere in a room full of people who definitely don’t trade on inside information…

Greedy elite: We have a problem. While we were counting money and vacationing on islands, China became the world’s factory, modernized its military, and got a chokehold on the rare earth supply chain.

Other elite: They also copied our cool airplanes.

Greedy elite: And all the stuff we paid them to manufacture. Now they’re selling it on Temu for $4.99.

Other elite: They’re even selling phones that spy on people.

Greedy elite: That’s OUR business model. This is unacceptable.

Evil genius: Relax. I’ve got a plan. We have domestic oil and gas, right? China imports a ton of energy from Russia and the Middle East?

Elite: Right.

Evil genius: Okay. First, we provoke Russia into invading Ukraine.

Elite: I thought we were doing something about China.

Evil genius: Shut up and let me cook. Who buys all the stuff China makes?

Elite: We do.

Evil genius: Okay, inconvenient. Who else?

Elite: Europe?

Evil genius: Exactly. Russia invades Ukraine. Energy infrastructure gets wrecked. Europe panics. Now they’re funding Ukraine while buying Russian energy that helps fund Russia.

Elite: Awkward.

Evil genius: Very. Meanwhile, orange man tells them to spend more on defense or start practicing Russian.

Elite: How do we make money?

Evil genius: Glad you asked. We show up with American gas and say, “Heard you’re having a little energy problem. We can help.”

Elite: At a reasonable price?

Evil genius: Let’s not get carried away.

Elite: Okay, but where does China come in?

Evil genius: Next, we start a war with Iran.

Elite: Jesus Christ. Are we still doing Russia?

Evil genius: Keep up. Iran sells oil to China. And right next door is the Strait of Hormuz, a tiny shipping bottleneck with an absolutely unreasonable amount of the world’s oil passing through it.

Elite: So we cause an energy crisis?

Evil genius: A strategically sized energy crisis.

Elite: Won’t expensive oil hurt Americans too?

Evil genius: Of course. But China needs imported energy to run the giant factory we spent decades helping them build. Europe needs it to run its industries and afford the stuff that factory makes. We produce a lot of energy ourselves.

Elite: So Americans still get screwed?

Evil genius: Yes, but some very important Americans get rich. Please focus.

Elite: Ohhh.

Evil genius: China pays more to manufacture things. Europe has less money to buy them. Our energy exporters get more customers. Everybody starts calling Washington asking how to make the pain stop.

Elite: China won’t like that.

Evil genius: Do you want to go back to the island or not?

Elite: Fair point. But who gets blamed?

Other elite: Historically, somebody eventually says “the Jews.”

Evil genius: Excellent. The internet handles that department for free. Our official statement will be “security concerns,” “regional stability,” and whatever fits behind the podium.

Elite: Should we mention nukes? People remember that one from Iraq.

Evil genius: Maybe workshop that. Preferably with a different PowerPoint.

Elite: Then what?

Evil genius: We tell Europe, “We’d love to help calm things down. While we’re here, buy more American energy, buy more American weapons, drop some trade barriers, and let’s have a totally unrelated conversation about Greenland.”

Elite: And China?

Evil genius: “We’d love to see peace too. Maybe ease up around Taiwan, back off in Latin America, loosen your grip on rare earths, and buy more of our stuff.”

Elite: Teslas and iPhones?

Evil genius: Exactly. Phones that spy on you the way God intended.

Elite: And we can control how bad this energy crisis gets?

Evil genius: Absolutely.

Intern: Sorry, has anyone actually checked that?

Evil genius: Who let the risk department in here?

Elite: Genius. Book the island.

Was this why tRump “Bone Spur - in - Chief” didn’t want to fight the Yemen military???

Does anyone know roughly know how much the LOs make there? With Crescent buying the Eagleford assets, I'm curious to know if a pay raise is in the future.

With the UKMTO reporting a fresh resurgence of strikes around the waterway, the brief recovery in crude flows is hitting a massive financial wall. Beyond the immediate risk to supplies, the logistical workarounds are getting wildly expensive. Between the heavy reliance on complex shuttle runs and the massive "danger money" premiums being paid out—with captains pulling in $100k a month plus bonuses just to make the transit—physical freight costs are adding an extra $15–$20 per barrel to Hormuz crude. How long can the market absorb these astronomical shipping premiums?

Source: Bloomberg

Assuming that China just run them as normal to save crude would their refineries be in better shape than those who run around the clock for profits?

Refineries in the third world like Venezuela seem to blow up left and right but are US or Canadian ones still run in a sustainable way?