US–Israel military action against Iran has driven oil briefly towards $120 per barrel before settling in the $90s, as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen from about 80 ships per day to only a handful, erasing expectations of near‑term oversupply. BMO analysts report nitrogen fertiliser prices up roughly 30%, with Middle Eastern producers supplying nearly half of global urea exports and about 15% of global polyethylene capacity, pushing utilisation towards 90%+. Metals impacts are uneven: up to 5 Mt of Middle Eastern aluminium output may be disrupted, while sulfur‑intensive nickel and phosphate chains face rising cost and supply risk.

Fortescue is rolling out a new Collision Avoidance System (CAS) as the first element of its HaulX technology suite, which CEO Metals and Operations Dino Otranto describes as a fundamental shift in the company’s vehicle safety approach. The CAS adds an engineered control layer on haul trucks and light vehicles, integrating proximity detection and automated intervention to prevent vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-person incidents. For mine operators, this signals tighter interaction control in mixed-traffic pits and a platform for progressive automation of haulage fleets.

Mineral Mining Services has mobilised its specialised reverse circulation drill fleet and crews to start a new RC drilling programme at the Leonora South gold project near Kookynie, Western Australia. The campaign follows a formalised “Drill-for-Equity” agreement with GoldArc Resources, under which MMS will receive part of its compensation in GoldArc equity rather than cash. The structure reduces upfront drilling costs for GoldArc while locking MMS into project upside, a model that could influence funding strategies for early-stage gold exploration in the Leonora–Kookynie belt.