Thursday , July 16 2026
  • My New Book

    US Energy Diplomacy in the Caspian Sea Basin: Changing Trends Since2001 - Available on Springer

  • My New Book

    US Energy Diplomacy in the Caspian Sea Basin: Changing Trends Since2001 - Available on Amazon

Recent Articles

Chokepoints of power: Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the new corridor wars

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait. [Photo/AA]

The concept of “corridor wars” describes intensifying competition among major powers over critical trade, energy, and transit routes in an era of weaponized interdependence. Unlike traditional territorial conflicts, these struggles center on controlling, securing, bypassing, or disrupting chokepoints: narrow maritime passages and overland links through which global commerce flows. Key arenas include …

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A remote bridge shows how US-Iran war is expanding

An image related by Iranian media purportedly showing the damage to the Aq Takeh Khan bridge in northeastern Iran, July 9, 2026

A reported US strike on a railway bridge in northern Iran has drawn attention to a lesser-known front in the widening conflict: the battle over the transport corridors linking Iran to Central Asia, Russia and China. Iranian state media and the IRGC said cruise missiles attributed to US forces struck …

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NATO 3.0 and energy security: Rebalancing transatlantic defence in Ankara

A view of the ATO Congresium international convention and exhibition center, where a part of 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit will be held in Ankara, Turkiye, on July 07, 2026. [Akın Çeliktaş – Anadolu Agency]

The 2026 NATO Summit opens today, 7th July, in Ankara, at a critical moment for the Alliance as Russia’s war in Ukraine, pressure on European defense systems, and the U.S. strategic pivot toward the Indo-Pacific intensify debates over transatlantic burden-sharing. The emerging “NATO 3.0” framework would shift greater responsibility for conventional defense, …

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Can Iran Really Impose Tolls on Strait of Hormuz Passage?

Iran believes it has won the war by asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz.Shutterstock

Tehran Cannot Legally Redefine Freedom of Navigation Through International WatersIran proposes collecting tolls or fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to generate up to $40 billion annually. According to discussions among Iran, Oman, and other regional players, Tehran has suggested charging for “security, safety, and environmental services.” The Iranian …

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US sanctions waiver could bring Iran’s oil trade out of the shadows

A view of Aboozar offshore rig in the Persian Gulf in this undated file photo

The United States’ new Iran sanctions waiver could do more than boost Iranian oil exports. It may also help shift Iranian energy trade from shadow networks back toward conventional global markets. On June 22, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License …

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Power, water, and governance: The roots of Iran’s summer blackouts

Summer nears, yet Iran’s power troubles run deeper than just hot days. Blackouts loom not simply due to weather but because neglect has weakened the grid over years. Outdated plants struggle now where new investment was ignored before. Fuel runs low at times, worsened when rivers shrink beneath long dry spells. People use energy …

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