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Following incidents in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has intensified crude oil exports through its eastern ports in the Persian Gulf. This was revealed by satellite imagery and shipping data.

According to the data, on Sunday, September 20, Saudi Aramco loaded approximately 1.4 million barrels of crude oil onto seven large tankers in the Middle East region.

Satellite photos taken by Reuters showed seven large oil tankers near the major port of Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. Data from TankerTrackers.com indicates an acceleration of loading at Persian Gulf terminals, suggesting an improvement in Saudi Arabia's oil exports.

The expectation of increased supplies led to a decrease in crude oil prices on the international market. On Monday, the global Brent Crude standard fell below $100 per barrel for the first time since September 9. Nevertheless, a representative of Saudi Aramco declined to comment on this issue.

It should be noted that on September 13, Saudi Arabia had to halt its 'East-West' pipeline system following drone attacks. This resulted in a complete stop of crude oil exports from the Yanbu port in the Red Sea. Consequently, Aramco canceled several contracts for selling crude oil to European buyers.

However, the company significantly increased crude oil supplies to Asian markets through its eastern ports in the Strait of Hormuz. JP Morgan analysts noted in a report dated September 18 that satellite data shows the flow of Saudi oil through the Strait of Hormuz averaged 2.9 million barrels per day over the last six days, compared to 700 thousand barrels per day in August.

According to trade sources, Saudi Arabia sold about 60 million barrels of crude oil from Ras Tanura for loading into the port of Sohar, Oman, via ship-to-ship transfer during the current and next month.

The agreement was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani during a ceremony held at a hotel in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Rubio told the press that 'Italy is a major partner with whom we want to continue working,' while Tajani emphasized that the agreement represents a 'central point' for Italy's industrial policy.

According to information from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agreement will allow both countries to exchange technical knowledge and information, as well as attract public funds and private investment in this area. Furthermore, cooperation with international partners is provided for to develop mechanisms that help reduce the prices of these materials.

The United States has intensified its efforts to secure supplies of rare earth elements and other critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, in order to reduce dependence on China, which dominates this sector.

Even before the memorandum was signed on Sunday, Tajani noted that one of the priority topics of his visit to the US with Rubio was precisely the signing of an agreement concerning 'raw materials for ensuring more reliable supplies.'

Tajani also mentioned the so-called 'Pax Silica,' which refers to an international initiative led by Washington aimed at ensuring supply chain security for advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors.

The agreement between the administration of President Donald Trump and the Government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni takes place against the backdrop of cooling relations between the two allies this year, which resulted from the Republican leader's criticism regarding Italy's refusal to support the war against Iran. This crisis situation prompted Rubio to visit Rome last May to restore bilateral relations.