Vitol Group and Cargill Inc. have stopped trading with Radiant World, a private firm that’s rapidly risen to become one of the world’s largest iron ore traders, while Glencore Plc is no longer doing new business with the company, according to people familiar with the matter.

Iron ore rose as threat of strike action by BHP Group workers at the export hub of Port Hedland raised concerns about potential supply disruptions, although weak Chinese demand will likely cap price gains.

Unions representing workers at BHP Group’s Port Hedland operations in Western Australia are threatening rolling 24-hour strikes next week, escalating a labor dispute at the world’s largest iron ore export hub.

The trading arm of Chinese copper giant CMOC Group Ltd. is making a push into iron ore with a deal to finance a mining company in Brazil.

India’s top iron ore-producing state is increasing quality-control checks after some miners were found to be misrepresenting grades in order to pay lower royalties, according to a document seen by Bloomberg, a crackdown that could hit domestic and export sales.

Fortescue Ltd. Executive Chairman Andrew Forrest urged China and Australia to “always negotiate fairly,” as the miner faces mounting pressure from Beijing’s state-backed iron ore buyer over stalled supply negotiations.

Iron ore fell for a second day as deteriorating profit margins at Chinese steel mills and continued US-Iran hostilities clouded the demand outlook.

Workers at BHP Group’s Port Hedland operations in Western Australia staged the first strike at the company’s Pilbara iron ore hub since 2000, after last-ditch talks failed to avert industrial action.

Iron ore was on track for the biggest weekly gain since early May as a looming strike at BHP Group’s Port Hedland terminal stoked supply concerns, even as fundamentals remain tested.

Workers at BHP Group’s Port Hedland iron ore terminal in Western Australia will stage an eight-hour strike on July 16, unions said, escalating tensions with the mining giant and potentially putting some supply at risk.

Iron ore rose after China’s state-backed buyer of the commodity expanded curbs on Australian miner Fortescue Ltd., and as a slump in prices over the last couple of months attracted buyers.

China’s state-backed iron ore buyer has expanded its curbs on Fortescue Ltd.’s iron ore to include new purchases of its Super Special Fines product and not just portside inventories, escalating its dispute with the Australian miner.

Some Fortescue Ltd. iron ore cargoes due in China next month are being held up because negotiations between the Australian miner and the country’s state-backed buyer remain deadlocked, according to people familiar with the matter.

Iron ore headed for a seventh weekly loss — the worst run since 2022 — as demand weakened seasonally and mill margins narrowed.

The Chinese steel market is navigating a prolonged weakening in demand rather than a cliff-drop collapse, as the steep decline from property is increasingly offset by manufacturing and exports, according to experts at an industry conference last week.

Iron ore sank below $100 a ton for the first time since March on signs of ample supplies just as demand in China faces headwinds.

BHP Group and Rio Tinto Plc are looking increasingly to India as the next big growth engine for global steelmaking, underscoring how the world’s biggest iron ore suppliers are preparing for a future beyond China.

The next big growth market will align closely with domestic spending on infrastructure.

The next big growth market will align closely with domestic spending on infrastructure.

The next big growth market will align closely with domestic spending on infrastructure.