Saudi Arabia's cabinet has vowed a decisive response to attacks on its oil facilities and shipping by Iran-aligned groups in Iraq and Yemen. Hours later the defence ministry intercepted a second wave of drones launched from Iraq.

Any European warship approaching the Strait of Hormuz is a legitimate target, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal affairs has said, adding that Tehran's policy is that the waterway will never return to its pre-war condition.

Iraq's oil ministry is preparing to import diesel as queues lengthen at Baghdad filling stations, eight months after the prime minister ordered fuel imports halted on the grounds that the country had reached self-sufficiency.

The US Department of Energy has granted an export permit to free-trade countries to Argent LNG for its proposed Louisiana project.