Friday , May 8 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

War, oil, and a Middle Eastern renewable energy transition

One week into the United States-Israel war on Iran in late February, missiles shifted towards each belligerent’s fossil fuel infrastructure. By March, President Donald Trump declared he wanted to “take the oil in Iran.” The war quickly devolved into a battle over energy targets and the control of oil prices Though oil …

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Is Iraq’s Seven-Day Oil Recovery Claim Realistic?

Iraq sends about 93 percent of its crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz, with few backup routes.Shutterstock

Restarting Production Requires More than Reopening Valves, Likely Taking Weeks Rather than Days Iraq’s claim that it can restore oil production and exports within seven days of a Strait of Hormuz reopening may reassure markets, but the process would not be simple. Iraqi officials, including Deputy Oil Minister Basim Mohammed …

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The long shock: How the Iran war is remaking the global economy

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz marks a rupture in the post-1970s energy order, with consequences that may redefine how the global economy functions The US and Israeli-led war on Iran has initiated a chain reaction that has culminated in the most significant oil supply disruption in modern history. Iran’s retaliatory strikes against …

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The United Arab Emirates Exits OPEC and OPEC+

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC, is a organization for oil-exporting countries.Shutterstock

The Decision Sends a Signal That National Priorities Now Outweigh Collective Discipline The United Arab Emirates’ decision to leave OPEC and the expanded OPEC+ that brought in nearly a dozen other oil-producing members not included in the original OPEC, effective May 1, 2026, is more than a routine policy shift. …

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Iran war turns India-Saudi oil trade into a strategic partnership

The Indo-Saudi old transactional model is giving way to a more complex partnership, and once that shift takes hold, it is unlikely to reverse even after the current crisis fades. Image: X/KSAmofaEN

What once looked like diversification for both now feels like necessity. The relationship is no longer just about barrels moving from one port to another; it is increasingly about managing shared risks, building joint infrastructure, and aligning long-term strategies The Iran-Israel war of 2026 has not only disrupted global energy …

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How Will the Gulf Arab Economies Change Post-War?

Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in solar power, as this site in Wadi ad-Dawasir shows.Shutterstock

Recovery Will Not Be Simply a Return to the Old Model, Now That Gulf States Are Diversifying Their Energy and Economies After Israel and the United States attacked the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded with missiles and drones targeting oil facilities, …

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The immense cost of Iran’s nuclear program

Western nations have long disputed Iran's claims that its uranium enrichment has peaceful aims [FILE: 2010]

Erfan Kasraie- DWIran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes, including energy production. But the figures and statistics paint a different picture. he peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad failed to deliver an agreement, with one key issue proving to be the main sticking …

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Iran sees hundreds of thousands of jobs lost due to war

Thousands of Iranians have lost their jobs since the war broke out [FILE: March 2023]

Shabnam von Hein04/15/2026April 15, 2026After six weeks of war, job losses are growing in Iran. Destroyed industrial facilities have brought production in many sectors to a standstill, hitting Iranian workers particularly hard. More than 93 million people in Iran are living in the shadow of a war that could flare …

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Ghalibaf’s rise signals Iran’s turn towards Bonapartism

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dressed in an IRGC uniform, chairs a session in Tehran on February 1, 2026. (AFP)

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf’s rising influence increasingly reflects a Bonapartist adaptation towards centralised authority exercised by an insider promising order without structural reform The concept of “Ghalibaf and Bonapartism” has emerged as a useful analytical lens for understanding the Islamic Republic’s evolving power structure amid mounting domestic and international …

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