Aiming to force the Iranian regime to negotiate its regional policies, the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018 and imposed tough sanctions on the country. This “maximum pressure campaign” has certainly put significant economic pressure on Iran — especially now as it is …
Read More »What will happen to US ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran after the election?
Since the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018 and the “maximum pressure” strategy of reimposing crippling sanctions, Iran has abandoned its key commitments, including the resumption of uranium enrichment. These moves have been accompanied by increasing ballistic missile tests, mysterious attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, increased meddling in conflicts …
Read More »Can Iran Exploit Its Remaining Oil Wealth?
As the Islamic Republic continues to fall behind in the rapidly evolving global energy industry, will it ever be able to take advantage of what remains of its enormous oil and gas wealth? Since Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979, the country’s oil and gas sector has continuously suffered from sanctions, …
Read More »Energy Resources and the New Great Game in the Eastern Mediterranean
Control over energy resources and transit routes has long been a source of rivalry and competition among major powers with interests in the Middle East, Caspian Sea basin and Central Asia. And since the early 2000s, a new “great game” of sorts has embroiled local and outside players in competition …
Read More »U.S. Presidential Election and Iran Oil Export
The upcoming U.S. presidential election presents a major political challenge for Iran’s economy, especially its energy sector and foreign exchange market. As the geopolitics of energy change, all developments directly impact the foreign policies of energy-producing and consuming countries. In the field of international relations, energy resources are sources of power, which if used …
Read More »Is Turkey’s New Gas Discovery in the Black Sea a Game Changer?
In mid-August, Turkey officially announced the discovery of a massive, 320-billion-cubic-meter (bcm) natural gas field in the Black Sea, in an exploration zone called “Tuna-1” (TRT World, August 21). The news was met with some skepticism from energy experts, notably in the Middle East (Arab News, August 24). Yet, if …
Read More »Energy Dimension of UAE-Israel Historical Deal
In August 2020 the UAE became the third Arab country to normalize relations with Israel after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994), and the first country in the Gulf region; however, secret relationships have been going on for years. The UAE-Israel historical deal was widely welcomed by some of the region’s leaders, as well …
Read More »China and Iran’s Strategic Partnership: A Zero Sum Game?
Iran and China first announced a long-term 25-year strategic partnership in 2016, with a draft document of the accord reportedly approved last week. Cooperation between the two countries will include China’s financial and technological participation in major projects such as highways, railways, oil and gas fields, the tourism industry, information technology and …
Read More »Present and Potential Dynamics of China’s Energy Policy with Tehran and Riyadh
The continuation of sanctions and the reduction of Iran’s oil share in the world market have caused many problems for all sectors of Iran’s energy industry and economy, and it will see an increase in problems in most areas due to the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy. Currently, the Iranian …
Read More »The Future of Iranian Natural Gas Exports to Turkey
Reducing dependence on Iranian gas will increase Turkey’s bargaining power in gas transactions. In practice, Iranian gas will not play a significant role in Turkey’s policies, which means that it can be easily removed from them and sanctioned. The diversification of energy resources is a fundamental principle of Turkey’s energy …
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