Big Oil Is Seeing Windfall Profits as Trump’s War on Iran Drives Up Prices

While the U.S. war on Iran is broadly unpopular in the U.S, including among a growing number of Donald Trump voters, at least one of the president’s core constituencies is happy: Big Oil.

The war’s straining of the global oil supply chain has delivered windfall profits to major fossil fuel corporations. The top two U.S. oil companies, ExxonMobil and Chevron, recently disclosed an astounding $26.5 billion in net income during the second quarter of 2026. Top independent U.S. oil refiners like Marathon, Valero, and Phillips 66 are seeing similar explosions in profits. Globally, a Guardian study found that eight of the world’s top oil companies took in more than $90 billion, or “more than $700,000 of profit every minute over the spring quarter.”

The word “oil company” might evoke generic imagery of rigs and refineries. But behind these entities are executives, board members, and top investors who are primary beneficiaries of Big Oil’s war profiteering and who hold commanding power within a fossil fuel power structure that stretches well beyond oil company boardrooms and into Wall Street and the corporate establishment more widely.

Big Oil’s War Profits

ExxonMobil and Chevron are the two largest U.S. oil corporations, together worth around $1 trillion. They are massive integrated fossil fuel companies whose operations span the entire chain of oil and gas production, and who have a presence across virtually the entire world.

In July, the two oil juggernauts together reported $26.5 billion in net income during the second quarter of 2026 — April through June of this year — as “they cashed in on surging crude and petrol prices caused by Donald Trump’s Iran war,” wrote the Financial Times.

Comparisons with last year provide a metric for measuring these enormous returns. In 2025, ExxonMobil reported second-quarter total earnings of $7.08 billion. In 2026, by comparison, that number leapt to $14.53 billion — more than a 105 percent increase, and “its best quarterly profit since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine caused a surge in oil prices,” according to the Financial Times.

In 2025, Chevron reported second-quarter earnings of $2.49 billion. In 2026, that number skyrocketed nearly four times — 384.7 percent — to $12.07 billion, which is Chevron’s largest quarterly haul ever.

The two corporations’ share prices have also soared compared to last year. On August 10, 2026, ExxonMobil’s share price closed at $159.79 — a 51 percent increase from its closing price of $105.83 on August 11, 2025. Similarly, Chevron’s share price closed at $194.91 on August 10, 2026 — a 27 percent increase from its closing of $153.45 on August 11, 2025.

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No Coming Back from Genocide: Israel’s Global Counter-Offensive Has Begun

Colombia’s decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights marks a dangerous turning point.

By becoming only the second country in the world – after the United States – to endorse Israel’s illegal annexation of Syrian territory, Bogotá has signaled a complete reversal of Gustavo Petro’s foreign policy under new far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella.

However, Colombia is not an isolated case. It reflects a broader, highly aggressive campaign by Israel to systematically dismantle and reverse hard-won pro-Palestine and pro-Arab positions worldwide. In fact, the shift in Bogotá comes alongside dramatic changes in Caracas, where Venezuela’s interim leadership has moved to restore consular ties with Israel after a 17-year freeze.

The same thing is happening in Europe. A prime example is Slovenia, where the newly installed government under Janez Janša removed the Palestinian flag from government buildings and announced its intention to freeze the country’s 2024 recognition of Palestinian statehood and move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Israel knows that its so-called ‘PR problem’ is no longer that of a merely tainted image resulting from occasional negative news coverage. The genocide in Gaza, coupled with genocidal discourse and wars of aggression across the Middle East, means that Israel, this time around, will not easily recover from the damage it has inflicted on its global reputation.

Though some circles, including those purportedly critical of Israel, insist that the problem is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of extremists, the truth is far more unpleasant for Israel. Indeed, Israel as a country, as a colonial project and as an ideology is increasingly being questioned.

Even some within Israel’s own mainstream media have begun acknowledging the depth of the crisis. “Maybe it’s time to understand that this isn’t just a PR failure, but a moral failure,” prominent Israeli television anchor Yonit Levi said last year. The Washington Post, meanwhile, described Israel as “turning into a global pariah.”

But Israeli leaders, though refusing to acknowledge the potentially irreversible changes in the global mood toward their country and Zionism as a whole, are comforted by two factors: one, continued US – and, by extension, Western – support; and two, directly related to the first, their ability to shift governments’ positions toward Israel through political, diplomatic and other means.

For Israel, the people never mattered; only governments do.

Colombia illustrates precisely why. Israel did not need to reverse Colombian public opinion or undo years of solidarity with Palestine. It only needed a change of government. The election of the unabashedly pro-Israel De la Espriella provided exactly that.

The political consequences were almost immediate. De la Espriella moved to restore full relations with Israel, withdraw Colombia’s support for South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice, resume coal exports and, most consequentially, recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan.

This rapid reversal also gives greater significance to former President Petro’s repeated statements of US and Israeli interference in the election that defeated left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda. Though these accusations remain contested, the outcome itself is unmistakable: a change of government was enough to begin dismantling years of Colombian policy on Palestine and Israel.

The same applies to Venezuela. Many initially viewed the US capture of pro-Palestine President Nicolás Maduro as merely another episode in Washington’s long history of intervention in Latin America. But the speed of Venezuela’s subsequent realignment suggests a broader transformation.

The clearest indication is Caracas’ growing closeness to Tel Aviv. Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Israel under Hugo Chávez in 2009 over the war on Gaza. Seventeen years later, the two governments have agreed to restore consular services – a significant step toward normalization and a powerful symbol of Venezuela’s changing geopolitical orientation.

Israel’s relationship with much of the Global South has historically been fraught, shaped by its colonial character, military aggression and close alignment with Western power.

Under Netanyahu, however, Israel worked systematically to break that isolation, expanding its influence across Africa, Asia and Latin America as the US-dominated global order began to weaken.

Gaza dramatically reversed those gains, not only in the Global South but worldwide. The challenge now is to make that reversal lasting – and Israel’s recent gains in Colombia, Venezuela, Slovenia and elsewhere temporary.

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Brazil’s Rare Earths and the Coming Resource War

The West suddenly discovered that Brazil is sitting on one of the most strategic mineral reserves in the world. The Associated Press reports that Brazil has the second-largest known rare-earth reserves behind China, and foreign interests are now rushing into the country as governments desperately attempt to break China’s grip on the supply chain. More than 86% of Brazil’s rare-earth exploration applications were filed within the last three years, and over 40% have foreign financial backing. This is what happens when governments wake up decades too late to the importance of commodities.

China understood long ago that control of natural resources and their processing is a form of geopolitical power. The West abandoned mining and manufacturing, imposed endless environmental regulations, and outsourced production to Asia because politicians assumed globalization would last forever. China was happy to take the business. Today it controls roughly 90% of global rare-earth processing, and Beijing has already demonstrated that it is prepared to use that position when geopolitical tensions rise.

Rare earths are essential for electronics, automobiles, aerospace, robotics, energy technology, and modern weapons systems. Washington suddenly realizes that depending on China for materials necessary to manufacture military equipment is a national security problem. American and Australian interests are therefore pouring into Brazil, while Brazil’s only commercial rare-earth producer, Serra Verde, has been acquired by a U.S.-backed company. The West is now scrambling to recreate supply chains it voluntarily surrendered.

Brazil would be foolish not to recognize the tremendous leverage it now possesses. President Lula has made clear that he does not intend to allow foreigners simply to extract Brazil’s resources and take the valuable processing elsewhere. Brazil wants the refining, technology, and industrial development to remain inside the country. That is precisely what China did successfully. China did not become powerful simply because it possessed minerals. It built the processing capacity and then moved up the industrial chain until everyone else became dependent upon it.

This is where Brazil has an opportunity that commodity-producing nations have repeatedly squandered. Digging something out of the ground and exporting it creates revenue, but processing it and converting it into finished products creates industry. The British Empire understood that distinction. So did the United States during its rise as an industrial power. The countries that merely supplied raw materials remained dependent upon those that controlled manufacturing and finance.

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Beijing Outraged as U.S. Warns Dominican Republic of Espionage Risk with Chinese Tech

The Chinese embassy in the Dominican Republic on Sunday accused its American counterpart of spreading “defamatory” remarks by sharing statements made by a U.S. official warning of the potential security dangers that come with using Chinese tech.

Over the past year, Trump administration officials have warned America’s Latin American allies of the great risks that come with using technology equipment made by Huawei, ZTE, and other companies linked to the Chinese communist party. The U.S. State Department’s Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Pablo Segura reiterated the dangers of using Chinese tech in a social media post last week. Segura emphasized that Beijing forces tech companies to cooperate with the regime’s intelligence services, creating risks of spying, hacking, and network shutdowns.

“We urge U.S. partners in the Americas to quickly switch to trusted suppliers to protect their people and their sovereignty,” Segura wrote.

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Ukraine’s Military In Turmoil: 576 Soldiers Desert Daily, 10X More Than Russian Army; What’s Going Wrong?

In the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war, one of the most significant issues facing Kyiv is a shortage of manpower. In a battle of attrition, the manpower and quantity of equipment are the biggest strengths of a military force.

Ukraine has been able to somewhat compensate for its lack of equipment with Western supplies. However, the lack of manpower has consistently hindered Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against the Russian onslaught.

Before the war began, Russia’s population was already nearly 3.7 times bigger than Ukraine’s. However, since the war started, a significant part of Ukraine, along with its population, has merged with Russia. Additionally, millions of Ukrainians have fled to European countries to escape the war.

Ukraine has demonstrated considerable ingenuity in repelling the Russian invasion; however, its limited manpower means that Kyiv is consistently at a disadvantage against Moscow.

In addition to this handicap, Ukraine now faces a new concern—the rising number of desertions from the frontline.

Ukraine’s Rising Desertions From The Frontline

According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, since the war began in 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have witnessed more than 250,000 desertions. These numbers include both AWOLs (absences without official leave) and desertions from the front line.

More than 250,000 criminal cases have been opened into soldiers’ absence without leave (AWOL) and desertion since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The official data was provided under the “Unified Report on Criminal Offenses” under Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or place of service).

As many as 202,997 criminal cases were opened into unauthorized abandonment of military units, also known as absence without leave, from 2022 to July 2025. A total of 15,564 people were officially charged with the crime.

The Prosecutor General’s Office also said that 50,058 desertion cases were opened in the same period, and 1,248 individuals were charged with desertion.

Under Ukraine’s martial law, men aged 25 to 60 can be conscripted into the armed forces.

Some 250,000 desertions in more than three years may not seem like a large number. However, as the saying goes, ‘Devil is in the Detail,’ these numbers hide a brutal truth, which is that the number of desertions in the Ukrainian Army is rising continuously, and that also at an alarming pace.

For instance, there were nearly 7,000 AWOL cases in 2022, 17,658 in 2023, 67,840 in 2024, and 105,500 from January to July 2025.

Similarly, for desertion, there were approximately 3,400 cases in 2022, 7,900 in 2023, 23,300 in 2024, and 15,400 from January to July 2025.

Together, the Ukrainian Army recorded nearly 10,400 desertions (including AWOL) in 2022, 25,558 in 2023, 91,140 in 2024, and 120,900 in the first seven months of 2025.

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Romania’s Globalist Foreign Minister Ramps Up War Rhetoric as Critics Accuse State of Psychologically Preparing the Public for Armed Conflict with Russia

Romania’s globalist, Brussels-backed government has escalated its language of military confrontation, declaring itself ready to respond with force to security threats from the war in Ukraine—rhetoric that veteran journalist Ion Cristoiu warns is nothing less than an attempt to condition the Romanian public for a war with Russia, which the population never sought and does not want.

Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu announced that Bucharest already has “a set of measures prepared” after consulting the increasingly unpopular President Nicușor Dan, who is widely viewed by his lack of popular legitimacy.

She explicitly linked these preparations to drone incidents near Romania’s borders and in the Black Sea, stating: “We are prepared to respond both militarily and diplomatically in order to defend the safety of our citizens on our territory.”

In a country still reeling from political instability and exceedingly deep public distrust, this type of language from the highest levels of government seems to many as far more than routine defense talk. They signal a readiness to treat spillover from a neighboring war as grounds for direct military engagement with Russia.

The most-publicized incident occurred on Aug. 20 near the Neptun Deep offshore gas project. A commercial vessel reported a small maritime drone drifting several hundred meters from the platform.

Romania scrambled two F-16s; one fired its cannon, and naval specialists later destroyed the craft, confirming it carried explosives. Several hundred workers were on the platform.

Defense Minister Radu Miruță framed the action as necessary to protect lives and critical infrastructure. Ukrainian authorities told Romania the drone was not theirs. Romanian officials promptly pointed toward Russia, despite Țoiu herself admitting there was no evidence Moscow had deliberately directed the craft at Neptun Deep.

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A New Threat Resurfaces as Europe Battles Wildfires and Droughts: Buried Active Bombs from WWI and WWII

Buried dangers have a way of resurfacing.

We have been reporting here on TGP that Europe is facing a hot summer, leading to major wildfires and severe droughts in its most vital rivers.

From the bottom of the river beds, military vehicles and weapons from the WW2 are resurfacing: German warships, Wehrmacht motorbikes, and bombs.

At the same time, during the battle against the wildfires, a deadly new threat is increasing the danger: unexploded ordnance from WWI and WWII.

Euronews reported:

“Fires have burned through huge areas of land in western Europe in recent months as the continent has battled scorching temperatures and droughts, and firefighters have faced the additional threat of exploding shells.

The fires and droughts are unburying and reactivating what was previously stable.

“One fire close to the city of Bordeaux in southwestern France has revealed a hoard of what is thought to be World War II-era ammunition, while in the province of Liège in eastern Belgium, local governor Hervé Jamar said emergency services were adapting to account for munitions buried in a fire area and that ‘a few sporadic detonations’ had been heard recently.”

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Trump Fired Kellogg For Leaking The Ukraine Peace Plan — Now He’s Back In Kyiv Pushing Women Into The War Machine

Mobilize The Women — Feed The Meat Grinder

Keith Kellogg, the former special envoy for Ukraine and Belarus under President Trump, went to Kyiv this week and outlined the ‘framework’ that he says the USA will continue to use in its dealings with the government in Ukraine. The special envoy’s vision does not differ from that of the rest of the ‘globalist’ globalist establishment of officials, bureaucrats, academics, etc. who have been managing the conflict in Ukraine for years.

“I believe women should be mobilized into the military because they fight every bit as well as men,” Kellogg said. “It is very important that women, as part of society, serve. I see absolutely no problem with it. My wife was a paratrooper and jumped out of airplanes. My daughter was a paratrooper and jumped out of airplanes. My wife fought in Grenada, and my daughter fought in Afghanistan.”

Kellogg stated that it is a matter of equality for women to serve in the Ukrainian military, as it is for men to serve, in order to seek personal pride.

This is the globalist depopulation project with a military uniform on it. Ukraine has already lost hundreds of thousands of men on the front lines of a war that has produced nothing but destroyed cities, shattered families, and a country demographically gutted from the inside out. The solution on offer from Washington’s neocon establishment: mobilize the women too. Send mothers, daughters, and wives into the same meat grinder. Call it equality. Call it courage. Call it anything except what it is — the deliberate destruction of a nation’s reproductive future in service of a proxy war that has no achievable military objective.

Russia Is Losing — Trust Us

Ukraine already has 55,000 women serving in the military. 64 of them have died in action in the first half of 2026. In a bid to add to the growing number of female servicemembers, Ukraine’s former Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov called for the mandatory mobilization of women into the military last week. The number of mobilized resources would immediately double, he claimed. This is clearly music to the ears of globalist Ukraine lobbyists.

“Russia thinks it is winning. It is not. Ukraine is winning,” Kellogg declared. “It is difficult to say that against the backdrop of a harsh winter and all the difficulties you are facing. But if you look at it from the outside, Russia has more problems right now than Ukraine does. I believe Ukraine’s courage and combat effectiveness have essentially reduced Russia’s chances of victory to zero.”

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As Many MSM Outlets Speculate on Zelensky’s Departure, Former Minister Fedorov Becomes Ukrainian Opposition Leader, Says President Should Be Questioned About Rampant Corruption

Zelensky now has a direct political opponent, as the MSM is letting go of his hand.

Yesterday, as Ukraine celebrated its 35th Independence Day, a flurry of heads of state and government and other political leaders converged on Kyiv, making the usual protestations of support.

Today, the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, made his first international trip to Kyiv, bringing the blueprints for Storm Shadow missiles.

But if you take a look at the world’s headlines, you will find an astonishing change in the wind direction, as several outlets speculate about the end of Volodymyr Zelensky’s power.

A cursory search reveals:

Unherd: Zelensky is running out of political cover;

BBC: The campaign to replace Zelensky;

WSJ: Zelensky’s Leadership Comes Under Biggest Threat Since War Began;

Tovima: How Long Can Zelensky Hold On?;

Berliner Zeitung: Zelensky’s time is up: Only a resignation will make him a war hero;

The Times: Is the tide at home turning against President Zelensky?;

The Telegraph: Is this the beginning of the end for Zelensky?

That level of questioning is unheard of – but, of course, it coincides with dozens of articles and op-eds guaranteeing that ‘Ukraine is actually winning the war’, and that ‘Zelensky is safe as houses’.

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German Spy Agency Sends Scouts to Gamescom 2026, Looking To Hire Gamers As Secret Agents: THE TELEGRAPH

BND wants hackers capable of waging cyberwar on Russia.

The newly beefed-up German foreign intelligence service is trying to get a leg up on its Russian foes by tapping a younger, radically different class of agents: gamers.

The BND has launched a recruitment drive for game enthusiasts, eying a ‘new generation of tech-savvy secret agents.’

The Telegraph reported:

“The Telegraph understands that agents from the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), the German equivalent of Britain’s MI6, will attend the world’s largest video game festival to recruit young spies.

BND officials said there was a ‘significant overlap’ between the skills possessed by gaming fans and those the agency needs to retaliate against Russian hackers targeting critical infrastructure in Germany.”

This is not the first time the BND has tackled gamers, because the exact same drive was enacted last year.

“The recruiting operation, at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, is part of a historic rearmament drive in Germany that seeks to turn the once-toothless BND into a rival of MI6 and Mossad.

An intelligence source said gamers at the festival who fit the BND’s profile would be invited to take a five-step challenge that tests their aptitude for cyber-security and hacking.”

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