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        <title><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></title>
        <description><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein is a senior reporter for Bloomberg News in London. His investigations on Iran, Russia and Venezuela have prompted changes in government policy and received industry honors.]]></description>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Iran Juggles Oil Cuts and Storage Strain to Resist US Blockade]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-02/iran-juggles-oil-cuts-and-storage-strain-to-resist-us-blockade</link>
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            <category><![CDATA[markets]]></category>
            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Anthony Di Paola]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 12:33:41 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>An oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.</media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Trump’s Messaging Blitz Divides Advisers as Iran Talks Waver]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-23/trump-s-social-media-blitz-divides-advisers-as-iran-talks-teeter</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Salma El Wardany]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:53:38 GMT</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Trump’s Rush to End Iran War Risks Delivering Weak Nuclear Deal]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-23/trump-s-rush-to-end-iran-war-risks-delivering-weak-nuclear-deal</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Martin]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:28:55 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>People visit the site of an airstrike in Resalat Square in Tehran on April 20.</media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Trump Says Currency Swap With UAE Is Under Consideration]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-21/trump-says-currency-swap-with-uae-is-under-consideration</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Josh Wingrove]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:38:06 GMT</pubDate>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[US-Iran Talks in Holding Pattern as Ceasefire Deadline Nears]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-21/trump-signals-no-truce-extension-on-eve-of-scheduled-peace-talks</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeff Mason]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 06:07:11 GMT</pubDate>
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            <title><![CDATA[US Expands Sanctions on Oil Tycoon to Keep Up Pressure on Iran]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-15/us-expands-sanctions-on-oil-tycoon-to-keep-up-pressure-on-iran</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Magdalena Del Valle]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:01:04 GMT</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[US Probes Suspicious Oil Trades Made Before Trump Pivots]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-15/us-probes-suspicious-oil-trades-made-before-trump-iran-pivots</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:51:25 GMT</pubDate>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Iran Weighs Pausing Hormuz Shipping to Avoid Derailing Talks]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-14/iran-weighs-pausing-its-hormuz-shipping-to-avoid-derailing-talks</link>
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            <category><![CDATA[markets]]></category>
            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:59:12 GMT</pubDate>
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            <title><![CDATA[US, Iran Pursue New Talks as Tehran Weighs Pause in Hormuz Shipments]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-14/us-iran-weigh-further-truce-talks-with-trump-blockade-underway</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:48:16 GMT</pubDate>
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            <title><![CDATA[US and Iran Mull Second Meeting in Bid to Revive Ceasefire Talks]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-13/us-and-iran-mull-second-meeting-in-bid-to-revive-ceasefire-talks</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:30:21 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>Vice President JD Vance gives the thumbs up while boarding Air Force Two as he leaves Islamabad on Sunday, April 12, 2026 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Vance spent 21 hours on the ground in Islamabad and stated an agreement was not made with Iran.</media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[US and Iran Holding Marathon Talks With Pakistan on Ending War]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-11/us-iran-officials-begin-talks-with-pakistan-on-ending-war</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:25:04 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>US Vice President JD Vance, center, arrives in Islamabad for peace talks on April 11.</media:description>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Netanyahu-Trump Divisions on Iran War Threaten to Box In US]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[As Israel continues to strike Lebanon and Iran leverages the Strait of Hormuz, the shaky ceasefire deal is at risk from political fault lines that helped shape the conflict.]]></description>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-04-09/iran-war-trump-netanyahu-divided-goals-threaten-ceasefire-deals</link>
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            <category><![CDATA[world]]></category>
            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:34:01 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>A building destroyed in Beirut on April 9. </media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Iranian Oil Prices Fetch a Premium for First Time Since 2022]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-02/iranian-oil-prices-fetch-a-premium-for-first-time-since-2022</link>
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            <category><![CDATA[markets]]></category>
            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:00:50 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>A worker on the platform of the oil facility on the Khark Island. </media:description>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Trump Sanctions Pivot Helps Iran Oil Tycoons Boost War Profits]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Sanctioned traders, including Hossein Shamkhani, have been able to move oil through the Strait of Hormuz and exploit higher prices. ]]></description>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-02/trump-sanctions-pivot-helps-iran-oil-tycoons-boost-war-profits</link>
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            <category><![CDATA[world]]></category>
            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:05:04 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>Oil tankers and ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates on March 11.</media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Drone Firm Backed by Trump Sons Is Pitching UAE on Weapons Deal]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-01/drone-firm-backed-by-trump-sons-is-pitching-uae-on-weapons-deal</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Annie Massa]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:40:02 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>Eric Trump, left, and Donald Trump Jr.</media:description>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Iran Presses Houthis on Red Sea Shipping, Officials Say]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-30/iran-presses-houthis-on-red-sea-shipping-european-officials-say</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Alex Wickham]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:52:29 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>Members of Houthi security forces stand guard in Sanaa, Yemen on March 26.</media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Hormuz Ship Traffic Stays Frozen Despite Move to Start Tolls]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-27/hormuz-ship-traffic-stays-frozen-despite-move-to-start-charging</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:58:17 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>A bulk carrier sits anchored at Muscat Anchorage in Muscat, Oman on March 25.</media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Iran Charges Some Ships Hormuz Transit Fees for Safe Passage]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-24/iran-charges-some-ships-hormuz-transit-fees-for-safe-passage</link>
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            <category><![CDATA[markets]]></category>
            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Salma El Wardany]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:52:42 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>A cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22.</media:description>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Trump Began Iran Talks as Allies Warned War Risked Disaster]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-23/trump-s-market-driven-reversal-buys-time-but-skepticism-abounds</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:39:55 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, on March 23. Photographer: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images</media:description>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Trump Risks Dragging Out Iran War With Debate Over Seizing Kharg Island]]></title>
            <link>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-20/trump-fans-quagmire-fears-with-debate-over-seizing-kharg-island</link>
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            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Bartenstein]]></dc:creator>
            <pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:56:04 GMT</pubDate>
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                <media:description>Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf on March 17.  Source: Copernicus</media:description>
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