Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign that Washington is assembling the infrastructure to directly enter a conflict with Tehran. The situation is still evolving and could change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private talks. Some of the people pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have also begun getting ready for an attack, one person said. President Donald Trump has for days publicly mused about calling for such a strike on Iran, which has been engaged in a war with Israel for nearly a week. Trump told reporters at the White House Wednesday he has “ideas as to what to do” and that he prefers to make the “final decision one second before it’s due” because the situation in the Middle East is fluid. A few hours earlier Trump said, “I may do it. I may not do it,” when asked if he was moving closer to attacking Iran. A White House official said that all options remain on the table. Asian stocks extended declines following the news of the preparations, with a gauge of regional equities sliding as much as 0.7 percent. Rhetorical shift The president’s openness to war is a reversal from his public remarks a week ago when Trump was urging diplomatic talks to reach a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran.  Waiting a few days to strike gives Iranian leaders additional runway to demonstrate to Trump that they are willing to give up some uranium enrichment capabilities in order to deter a US attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post earlier Wednesday that his country remained “committed to diplomacy” and

Norway’s Energy Ministry has offered Equinor ASA new acreage to explore potential carbon dioxide (CO2) injection sites in Norwegian waters. License EXL014 covers blocks 8/5, 8/6, 8/8, 8/9, 8/12, 9/7 and 9/10 on Norway’s side of the North Sea, according to a work program published online by the Norwegian Offshore Directorate. “The license is offered with a binding work program with built-in milestones to ensure fast and efficient progress or relinquishment of the acreage if the licensees do not complete the storage project”, the ministry said in a statement. This is the eighth time Norway has awarded acreage for CO2 storage. EXL014, offered to Equinor Low Carbon Solutions AS, will be the fourteenth license to be awarded for CO2 storage on Norway’s continental shelf. So far 13 licenses have been awarded – one exploitation and 12 exploration, according to the ministry. “This shows that there is interest in offering safe and secure storage of CO2 captured in Europe”, said Energy Minister Terje Aasland. “The government is making it possible for Norway to receive large quantities of CO2  from Europe”, Aasland said. “The storage will take place on commercial terms, where those with emissions pay for the storage”. Earlier the Directorate said Harbour Energy PLC had found a suitable reservoir for CO2 injection in the North Sea about 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) southeast of the Yme platform. Well 9/6-1 is the first well drilled in EXL006, awarded May 2023. “This is the fourth well drilled to investigate potential commercial storage of CO2 on the Norwegian continental shelf”, the Directorate said June 2. The wildcat well aimed to assess the injection potential of Middle Jurassic and Middle and Upper Triassic reservoir rocks in the area of the planned Havstjerne storage project. “Extensive volumes of data have been acquired from the reservoir and caprocks. An injection

Petroliam Nasional Bhd. (Petronas), Petronas-backed MISC Bhd., and Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. (MOL) have announced the incorporation of a joint venture for the development of liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers. The partners had already completed the front-end engineering design for a 62,000-cubic-meter (2.19 million cubic feet) LCO2 transport vessel, awarded to the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute. Classification firm DNV granted the design a General Approval for Ship Application certification last December, “establishing it among the most developed Low-Pressure Low-Temperature LCO2 carrier designs in the industry”, Petronas said in an online statement. The JV, called Jules Nautica Sdn. Bhd., “aims to become a leading owner of LCO2 carriers, facilitating the safe and efficient transportation of LCO2 to designated CO2 storage sites”, Malaysia’s national oil and gas company added. “Focused on supporting future CCS projects across the Asia Pacific region, the JV will also play a key role in completing the CCS value chain. “Through strategic commercial agreements with CO2-emitting industries and storage companies, this partnership will provide a critical cross-border solution to meet growing environmental and regulatory needs”. MISC president and group chief executive Zahid Osman said, “Initiatives like these reflect the direction we are taking, as we continue to explore and forge partnerships that will advance the development of low-carbon solutions and ensure our maritime pathways remain integral to a sustainable energy landscape”. In 2023 Petronas and Mitsui signed an agreement with TotalEnergies SE to establish a CO2 “merchant storage service” that would cater to Asia’s industrial sector. “The partners will evaluate several CO2 storage sites in the Malay Basin, including both saline aquifers and depleted offshore fields”, France’s TotalEnergies said in a press release then. In 2024 Petronas signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) and Storegga to collaborate on a potential CCS project with a

Australia’s Santos Ltd. said the BW Opal floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel arrived at the Barossa gas field. This is a critical milestone on the path to first gas in the third quarter of 2025, Santos said in a media release, adding that the FPSO has been hooked up with final commissioning already in progress. The FPSO is the production centerpiece of Santos’ Barossa liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. Santos said it and joint venture partners SK E&S and JERA Co. Inc. have invested $3.95 billion (AUD6.07 billion at today’s rates) on the Barossa LNG project to date. “The project has come a long way since regulator acceptance of the Offshore Project Proposal in 2018. The project remains on track for first gas in the third quarter of 2025, and within the original cost guidance, which is a remarkable achievement”, Kevin Gallagher, Santos Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said. “Barossa is a world-class asset and, together with the Pikka phase one project in Alaska, is expected to deliver a 30 percent increase in production over the next eighteen months or so compared to 2024.  These projects will set the company up with long-term, stable cash flows to underpin compelling shareholder returns”. Furthermore, the Darwin LNG life extension (DLE) project, which will support the Barossa LNG project, is on track to be completed by the start of the third quarter of 2025, with 90 percent of the work now done, Santos said. The DLE project and its associated infrastructure have created 300 construction and maintenance jobs in Darwin, with a total investment of AUD 1 billion. Santos’ operations at Darwin LNG, which employ a 100 percent local workforce, are expected to generate around AUD100 million per year in supply and service opportunities for Northern Territory businesses, Santos said.

Lakes Blue Energy NL has secured AUD6.5 million to fund the proposed drilling of Wombat-5 in Petroleum Retention Lease 2 (PRL 2). The company said in a regulatory filing that it received firm commitments for a placement of 8,663,667 shares, which will also provide sufficient working capital to June 2025. According to Lakes, the placement is subject to its reinstatement to trading on the Australian Securities Exchange Ltd. (ASX). The placement will raise a total of AUD 6,497,750.25 in two tranches. The first tranche will bring in around AUD 6 million, and the second tranche is set to bring in an additional $502,500. The company added its directors intend to participate in the placement in consideration of outstanding amounts due to directors for a total of up to AUD636,024, subject to shareholder approval at its general meeting. Shares in the placement will be issued at AUD 0.75 per unit, a 25 percent discount to the last traded share price of AUD 1.00 on September 30, 2023, before suspension from quotation on October 2, 2023. Morgans Financial Ltd. acted as lead manager. “Lakes is delighted with the market’s response to our placement, and we look forward to utilizing these funds to drill Wombat 5 and hopefully developing a substantial gas field to assist Victoria alleviate its forecast gas shortages”, Roland Sleeman, Chairman of Lakes, said. The company earlier received approval from Lily D’Ambrosio MP, Victoria’s State Minister for Energy and Resources, to drill Wombat-5. Lakes said it had already secured an agreement with Condor Energy Services Ltd. for the supply of their Rig #1 for drilling the proposed lateral well, with spudding expected to start July. To contact the author, email [email protected] What do you think? We’d love to hear from you, join the conversation on the Rigzone Energy Network. The

WASHINGTON— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright testified today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request. Earlier this month, Secretary Wright testified before the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee to outline the department’s FY2026 request. He also appeared last month before both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittees on Energy and Water Development to outline department priorities and provide a comprehensive overview of the budget. The FY2026 Budget delivers on President Trump’s directive to restore American energy dominance, unleash every American energy advantage, and bring commonsense back to Washington. It returns non-defense discretionary spending to the most disciplined levels since 2017 and redirects over $15 billion away from the Green New Scam— a reckless Biden-era agenda that drives up costs, weakens reliability, and undermines U.S. energy strength. The department remains committed to being responsible stewards of American taxpayer dollars while protecting the affordable, abundant, and reliable energy our nation depends on. For more details, view the budget toplines here. Secretary Wright’s opening remarks: Thank you, Chairman Lee, Ranking Member Heinrich, and Members of the Committee, it is an honor to appear before you today as Secretary of Energy to discuss the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget request for the Department of Energy. Under President Trump’s leadership, our priorities for the Department are clear—to achieve American energy dominance, bolster our national security, meet our Cold War legacy cleanup commitments and unleash historic innovation, including AI, for our nation and world. We are driven by a bedrock conviction that an affordable, reliable, secure energy supply is the foundation of a strong and prosperous nation. When America leads in energy, we lead in prosperity, security and human flourishing. We are committed to advancing our critical missions while cutting red