EIA - Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $74 per barrel (b) in June, a decrease of almost $3/b from the May average. EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average $73/b in the second half of 2018 and will average $69/b in 2019. EIA expects West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices will average $6/b lower than Brent prices in the second half of 2018 and $7/b lower in 2019. NYMEX WTI futures and options contract values for October 2018 delivery that traded during the five-day period ending July 5, 2018, suggest a range of $56/b to $87/b encompasses the market expectation for October WTI prices at the 95% confidence level.

ИРНА - Иран в течение прошедшего месяца (июнь), экспортировал 2,6 миллиона баррелей нефти в день в страны Азии и Европы, начиная с 20 марта 2017 года. Экспорт включал 2,280 млн баррелей нефти в сутки и 330 тыс. баррелей конденсата в сутки в течение одномесячного периода.

PLATTS - Kazakhstan's giant Kashagan oil field is achieving new production highs everymonth and has done better than 300,000 b/d, but development beyond the currentphase is likely to be about "discretionary step-ups" rather than giant steps,Shell country chair and vice president Olivier Lazare said Thursday.

WNN - GE and EDF have signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the planned construction of six EPR reactors at the Jaitapur site in Maharashtra, India. The document was announced by Xavier Ursat, senior executive vice president of EDF in charge of new nuclear projects and engineering, and Andreas Lusch, president and CEO of GE's Steam Power business.

AOG - Sheikh Abdullah said: “This agreement strengthens the already close ties between the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and between the UAE and India. The UAE is unwavering in its commitment to its strategic multi-lateral relationships with both Saudi Arabia and India, as well as being a reliable partner in India’s energy security. We look forward to exploring further opportunities to expand our energy partnerships and to collaborating on new, broader, opportunities that will further strengthen and deepen the long-standing economic links between our three countries.”

PLATTS - "Today, the political situation is somewhat different. The South Korean side approached Gazprom about the revival of this project. A series of talks took place on this. These talks are continuing. We can't say anything further, but we are renewing such talks with the Korean side," Markelov said.

PLATTS - Saying that current oil prices were not supported by market fundamentals, Indian oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday called for "responsible pricing, one that balances the interests of both the producer and consumer."

PLATTS - "Japanese companies don't want to stop imports suddenly," he said, adding the US position needed clarifying. "The situation in the US government is drastically changing every day."

PLATTS - Japan is keen to back oil investments in the Caspian states of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as it tries to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE and to a lesser extent Iran, Japanese officials said

BLOOMBERG - India, a long-time buyer of oil from both Iran and Venezuela, only complies with United Nations-mandated sanctions and not those imposed by one country on another, said foreign minister Sushma Swaraj at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday.

REUTERS - India’s oil imports from Iran surged to 640,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April, its highest level since October 2016, according to data from shipping and industry sources, as refiners raised purchases ahead of looming U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

PLATTS - Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said Wednesday that the country would work closely with OPEC as well as non-OPEC producers to mitigate the impact of any shortages that might arise following the US' decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

REUTERS - global liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports have risen 40 percent since 2015, to almost 40 billion cubic meters (bcm) a month. Growth accelerated in 2017, with imports up by a fifth, largely because of rising demand in China, but also in South Korea and Japan.

REUTERS - Uzbekistan plans to join an $8 billion project to build a natural gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to India, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on Monday, although it was unclear whether Tashkent might eventually ship gas through it.

LUKOIL - LUKOIL has commissioned a Gas Processing Complex at the Kandym fields cluster in Uzbekistan. The official opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Aleksander Novak, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Uzbekistan Vladimir Tyurdenyov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Uzbekistan Kwon Yong Woo and the President of PJSC "LUKOIL" Vagit Alekperov.