Asian refiners turn back to Middle East crude as supply recovers

The reversion toward Middle East crude is a reminder that conflict-driven supply disruption can reprice trade flows faster than diplomacy resolves them, leaving alternative suppliers such as the US exposed to demand that evaporates once logistics normalize. This matters most for refiners optimizing on freight and for exporters who benefited from the earlier dislocation. Whether the shift holds depends on something the item leaves unresolved: supply recovery is underway without a Washington-Tehran settlement, so the durability of these flows is the open question.