Why Brent crude prices are rising again

So this is not just a story about prices.

It is about risk in one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

What is making people so nervous right now?

Iran has said the strait will not reopen unless it gets major concessions from the United States.

The foreign minister said those conditions include easing sanctions and paying war reparations.

So even a possible deal still looks far away.

How are traders reacting to that?

Brent crude rose more than 1 percent on Monday.

Futures for October were at $83.77 a barrel at 2:30 GMT.

Analysts say there is still a risk premium in the price.

So people are paying extra because they fear disruption.

And this route matters because so much oil moves through it, right?

Very much so. Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried about one-fifth of global oil supplies.

Since the conflict began in late February, shipping has effectively collapsed.

That is a huge change.

Do we have signs of how bad the traffic drop has been?

Yes. A ship-tracking platform said only eight to 15 vessels crossed on August 4, 5 and 6.

Before the conflict, there were roughly 130 transits.

That gap is striking.

It shows how quickly energy markets can come under pressure from politics and conflict.

It does.

The United Arab Emirates also condemned what it called an Iranian missile attack on a vessel owned by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

And the International Maritime Organization says there have been at least 64 violent incidents.

It also says there have been 17 deaths involving commercial vessels since the war began.

That gives the market fear a very real shape.

But traders are not only watching the headlines.

They are also watching the calendar.

Right. One analyst said each day without a breakthrough makes traders a little more cautious.

He also warned that even if an agreement is announced, it could still be fragile.

So oil may not fall very far.

So even good news might not fully calm the market.

That is the key point.

At the moment, the market is reacting not to a solved problem.

It is reacting to the danger that the problem is still there.

Morocco’s football chief and the talk of politics.

Now we go to Mia, our LinguaWire correspondent for politics.

A new political debate is growing in Morocco because Fouzi Lekjaa has joined a political party.

And this is happening right before an election.

That makes the timing especially sensitive.

What exactly did he do?

Morocco votes in parliamentary elections on September 23.

Lekjaa joined the Authenticity and Modernity Party, known as PAM, less than three months before that vote.

So the move is legal, but it still sends a strong signal.

How are people reading it?

That is how many people see it.

Mustafa Ahdar, a constitutional law and political science researcher, says every Moroccan citizen may join a party under the 2011 Constitution.

But he also says Lekjaa is not an ordinary citizen in the public eye.

He leads the football federation and holds a senior ministerial role.

So the issue is not only party membership.

It is also about power, image, and timing.

What other roles does Lekjaa have?

Exactly. Lekjaa is Morocco’s minister delegate for the budget.

He is also president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.

He is already a very visible figure because of public finance and football.

And football is not just a side topic here.

It seems tied to national pride and big state projects.

It is. The next government will help oversee preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Morocco will cohost it with Spain and Portugal.

With billions expected for roads, transport and tourism, some commentators are already calling it Morocco’s “World Cup government.”

That is a powerful phrase.

It suggests voters may judge leaders on delivery, not just on speeches.

Yes, and that is part of the larger change in Moroccan politics.

The report says voters are paying more attention to performance and results.

They are not only watching party ideology.

Lekjaa’s public image comes from management and achievement, not from a long party career.

So his popularity comes from work outside normal party politics.

What does Ahdar say about that?

That is the idea. Ahdar says parties should help create future leaders.

But when they recruit famous figures from outside politics, they risk losing that role.

He also says the debate now is more about Lekjaa’s arrival than about PAM’s programme.

That is revealing.

It sounds like the person matters more than the party itself.

In this case, yes.

Some social media users even joked that Lekjaa attracted PAM, not the other way round.

That shows how personal politics can become when a well-known official steps into party life.

And there is still no official sign that he is being prepared for the top job.

No official sign, no.

But the speculation itself is now part of the election story.

First, three words from Story 1.

premium means an extra amount you pay because something feels risky or special.

In the story, it was the extra cost in oil because traders feared trouble in shipping.

Example: The company charged a premium for fast delivery.

concessions means things you agree to give up in a deal.

In the story, Iran said it wanted major concessions from the United States.

Example: The two sides reached a deal after both made concessions.

cautious means careful and not quick to trust good news.

In the story, traders were cautious because the agreement could still fail.

Example: We were cautious and waited for more facts.

Now the grammar point: be going to.

We use be going to when we talk about a plan or a likely future situation.

Example one: The waterway is not going to reopen without major concessions.

Example two: The next government is going to face big pressure.

Repeat after me: is going to reopen