Inventories have been depleted, refining capacity has been damaged and the US no longer appears capable of acting as the world's supplier of last resort.

Goldman Sachs estimated that enough Mideast pipeline capacity could be added to insulate 75% of the pre-war Gulf exports by the end of 2028.

The oil market has far fewer buffers than earlier this year, with strategic reserves, commercial inventories, and China's stockpiles significantly depleted after cushioning…

Inventories have been depleted, refining capacity has been damaged and the US no longer appears capable of acting as the world's supplier of last resort.