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diplomacyApr 14, 2026

Why Occidental Petroleum Fell Today

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Key Points The U.S. imposed a blockade of vessels from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet CENTCOM said it had also let some ships from non-Iranian ports through the U.S. blockade. It was reported that the U.S. and Iran will return to talks later this week. That news sent oil prices tumbling. - 10 stocks we like better than Occidental Petroleum â€ș Shares of U.S.-based oil producer Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) were falling on Tuesday, down 4.9% as of 1:00 p.m. EDT. Occidental is largely a U.S.-based oil and gas producer, with deep, low-cost inventory in the Permian Basin in West Texas, among other U.S. locations. The company also has a fair amount of debt on its balance sheet -- the result of two major acquisitions over the past seven years. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » As such, Occidental's stock is highly sensitive to oil prices and was an outsize beneficiary of the Strait of Hormuz closure, since some of its Middle East competitors have been cut off from global markets. The Strait has been an ongoing drama since shortly after the U.S.-Iran war began at the end of February. Today, there were renewed hopes for a deal to open the Strait. Despite a still very unclear picture of the future, those reports were enough to send oil prices tumbling, and Occidental's stock with it. Ships continue to cross, and peace talks are to resume On Saturday, the first rounds of negotiations, headed by Vice President JD Vance, ended without any resolution, as the Iranian leadership was unwilling to compromise on its nuclear ambitions, as well as other "red lines." In response, President Trump threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz with U.S. ships. Before this, Iran had been threatening all ships crossing the Strait, save for its own ships or others that had agreed to pay "tolls" to the regime. But Trump's blockade of the Strait would theoretically halt all ships, Iran's included. While Reuters reported today that ships continued to cross the Strait in roughly the same numbers as last week, U.S. Central Command said it was enforcing the blockade this morning. CENTCOM noted it was still allowing ships from non-Iranian ports to cross the Strait, suggesting some ships from allies were actually getting through. But CENTCOM also noted that it had ordered six ships from Iranian ports to turn back, which they did. Earlier today, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News that talks to reopen the Strait could resume later this week. That could mean the U.S. blockade is at least bringing Iran back to the negotiating table. That sent oil prices back down about 7.2% today, to $91 per barrel as of this writing. Occidental remains a good hedge against geopolitics While renewed hope for a deal to open the Strait sent oil prices back down today, it's still an open question when the Strait will reopen and what level of traffic will traverse it when it does. Meanwhile, oil prices may be down today, but will likely stay above the levels at which they started the year for some time. After all, even if the Strait opens, it will take time for supplies to regain past levels. That should enable Occidental to maintain high profitability and pay down more debt, at least through the first half of this year, de-risking its story. As such, Occidental may be worth a look on this pullback, especially for those without any oil and gas exposure in their portfolios. As we've seen this year, oil and gas stocks act as a good hedge against geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East and Russia. As a bonus, most major oil and gas companies pay solid dividends along the way. Should you buy stock in Occidental Petroleum right now? Before you buy stock in Occidental Petroleum, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now
 and Occidental Petroleum wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $556,335!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,160,572!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 975% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. *Stock Advisor returns as of April 14, 2026. Billy Duberstein and/or his clients have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Occidental Petroleum. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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  • The Motley FoolBy The Motley Fool

    Key Points The U.S. imposed a blockade of vessels from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet CENTCOM said it had also let some ships from non-Iranian ports through the U.S. blockade. It was reported that the U.S. and Iran will return to talks later this week. That news 


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Key points: Bitcoin diverges from US stocks as Trump says Strait of Hormuz “open” Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD building on the week’s gains as the S&P 500 bounced from 7,696, its lowest level since Aug. 4. BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView This came after US president Donald Trump posted a map of the closed Strait of Hormuz oil route to Truth Social where it was labeled “new US territory.

” Both the US and Iran lay claim to control of Hormuz, with Trump threatening US ally Oman with military action over its plans to work with Iran on charging tolls to shipping traffic. In a subsequent post, Trump confirmed that further diplomacy with Iran was not on the agenda.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he wrote. S&P 500 one-day chart.

Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView As on Monday, oil avoided major volatility, with WTI crude down 1% at the time of writing at $84 per barrel. US government bonds continued to show strain, with the 30-year yield hitting 5.34%, its highest since January 2007.

“Bond prices are sending warnings,” BNY Mellon analyst Geoff Yu wrote in a research note quoted by the New York Times. Yu said that the surge came as “investors demand more compensation for inflation risk,” while also attributing the upside to government borrowing.

US 30-year bond yields one-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView BTC price faces crunch rebound test Updating X followers on BTC/USD, trader and analyst Aksel Kibar eyed the culmination of a potential reverse head-and-shoulders pattern at $62,300.

Related: Bitcoin price spike to $64.5K was ‘low-volume liquidity trap’: Analysis “If $BTCUSD is going to rebound, it has to come from here,” he argued on Monday. Kibar offered a $53,000 target in the event of the head-and-shoulders structure failing, with $76,000 a potential upside target should the rebound sustain.

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Aksel Kibar on X.com Previously, Cointelegraph reported that underwater investors were contributing to Bitcoin’s inability to break higher. Its rebound to $64,500 also stopped short of an overhead trend line, the 50-month exponential moving average (EMA).

This moving average is now in place as resistance at $65,827.

Location: Strait of Hormuz
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Trump says no talks underway with Iran, Hormuz blockade remains in place US president says no discussions are taking place or planned with Tehran and reiterates that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains fully operational Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran and that no discussions are currently scheduled between the two countries.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump also said the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains "in full force and effect." The president did not provide further details regarding US policy towards Iran or any potential future diplomatic engagement.

Trump's comments come amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed focus on security and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.

Location: Tehran
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran had “won both the war and diplomacy,” claiming those who initially sought Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” later sought negotiations. Speaking at an event, Araghchi said Iran resisted for days against what he described as “the world’s largest apparent military,” alongside another army claiming military power and with the support of nearly all Western countries and some other states inside and outside the region, according to the Tasnim news agency.

“Those who were seeking unconditional surrender, shortly after the war began, begged for negotiations,” Araghchi said. He claimed Tehran initially rejected a ceasefire and continued fighting until reaching a point where the other side accepted a ceasefire and negotiations “on Iran’s terms.

” “We fought with strength, and we negotiated with strength,” he said, adding that many foreign ministers had told him: “You won both the war and diplomacy.” Araghchi’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump called on Iran on Monday to give up and “raise the white flag.

Location: Tehran
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- Iran demands US lift sanctions and return frozen assets to reopen Strait of Hormuz - Iran's Parliament Speaker warns closure of Strait continues until US ends military threats - Around 20% of global oil supply passes through the Strait, impacting energy security Iran has warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US meets a set of conditions, including the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to oil sanctions and what Tehran describes as a US blockade and military threats.

Al-Arabiya English reported that Iran's Parliament Speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Trump administration must meet the conditions before Tehran considers reopening the strategic waterway. “Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Ghalibaf said.

Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. pic.twitter.com/fl2RrKnT1R— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) August 18, 2026 Ghalibaf also warned that Iran was prepared to respond more forcefully depending on the actions of its adversaries.

ALSO READ: 'We Control Hormuz': Trump To Declare Strait As US Territory? Here's What President Says The comments add a new condition to an already fragile diplomatic environment, with the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of concerns over global energy supplies.

Around one-fifth of global oil supply typically passes through the waterway, making any prolonged disruption a major risk for crude markets, shipping and energy security. Earlier, Press TV reported that Ghalibaf is scheduled to travel to Baghdad on Wednesday at the head of a high-level Iranian delegation for discussions with Iraqi leaders.

The talks are expected to cover regional developments and bilateral cooperation, including border security, counterterrorism, economic ties and implementation of existing agreements. Iraqi media have also reported that the agenda could include a proposal concerning Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

The visit comes as regional governments grapple with the implications of continued disruption in one of the world's most important energy corridors. ALSO READ: Hormuz Tensions: Another Ship Hit By Unknown Projectile, Says UKMTO Centre The security situation in the waterway has also remained tense.

The UK's Maritime Trade Operations agency, or UKMTO, said a vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. “The Company Security Officer has reported that the vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz,” UKMTO said.

The impact damaged the vessel's engine room and resulted in a crew casualty, the agency said. The remaining crew was being assisted by the Omani coastguard. Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

Location: Tehran