
Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday reaffirmed his country's sovereignty claim over the Falklands Islands, warned of a diplomatic response to British oil exploration in the area, and announced that 10% of fiscal revenue from privatizations will be allocated to purchasing weapons and equipment for the armed forces.

Oil prices surged on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed in a televised address to the nation to hit Iran extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 4.1% to $104.21 per barrel, while Brent, the international benchmark, gained 5% to $106.42, according to CNBC data.

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Tuesday denounced the existence of an international ring dedicated to stealing and adulterating gasoline and diesel imported into the country, with operations detected in Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay. According to the president, the scheme originated under the previous management of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), the state-owned fuel supply company.

”If the (Iran) conflict is contained soon, the hit to confidence may be temporary, but a prolonged crisis could prompt more precautionary saving and further discretionary spending cuts,” warned Moody’s in a report on the current war in the Middle East, and the impact for US households.

Brent crude, the European benchmark, closed Monday at $112.78 per barrel and continued climbing in the futures market past $114, its highest level since July 2022. Oil has surged roughly 55% in March, the largest monthly gain since the contract's inception in 1988.

The United States authorized the passage of a Russian oil tanker loaded with crude bound for Cuba, in the first easing of the de facto energy blockade Washington has imposed on the island since the start of the year, The New York Times reported, citing a U.S. official.

Chilean President José Antonio Kast's government faced its first street protests since taking office on March 11 this week, after a historic fuel price increase hit consumers and rapidly eroded public support for the far-right leader.

Uruguay's government announced on Friday a 7% fuel price increase effective April 1, as a direct consequence of rising oil prices driven by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of the world's crude oil supply transits.

A delegation of Chilean and European authorities and institutions completed a technical visit to the Profesor Julio Escudero research station operated by the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) on King George Island, where progress was presented on a pilot renewable hydrogen and energy infrastructure project designed to validate hybrid energy systems in one of the planet's most demanding environments.

Iran rejected on Wednesday the 15-point proposal put forward by the Trump administration to end the war, calling its terms excessive and detached from reality, while international mediators scramble to arrange a direct meeting between representatives of both countries that could be, they warn, the last chance to prevent a broader escalation.