Iran’s large-scale fuel losses appear to go beyond the smuggling cited by officials in Tehran, with evidence pointing to organized diversion within the country’s fuel distribution system. Iranian officials repeatedly say around 20 million liters of fuel are smuggled out of the country every day, costing Iran between $4 billion …
Read More »From Transit Corridor to Energy Hub: Türkiye after the Iran-Israel-U.S. War
The 2025-2026 Iran-Israel-U.S. conflict marked a turning point in global energy politics. Direct attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, such as South Pars and the Kharg Island export terminal, along with Iranian threats to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, revealed the weakness of maritime chokepoints. About 20% of the world’s seaborne …
Read More »Is the United Arab Emirates’ Iran Trade Freeze Economic Shock or Strategic Pivot?
Enforcement Will Test Abu Dhabi’s Appetite to Absorb Domestic Costs While Pressuring Tehran On August 19, 2026, the United Arab Emirates announced it had stopped “all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions” with Iran “until further notice.” But the Foreign Ministry did not cite a new statute, cabinet resolution, sanctions list or …
Read More »Iran keeps finding gas. Getting it out is the problem
Iran has announced another major gas discovery, but with the world’s second-largest reserves already beneath its soil, Tehran’s problem is not finding gas but finding the money and technology to extract it. Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said the newly discovered field in southern Fars Province contains more than 7.5 trillion …
Read More »Turkey’s gas pivot leaves Iran with fewer cards to play
he expiry of a 25-year gas contract has exposed a shift in the Iran-Turkey energy relationship, with Ankara now enjoying more supply options while Tehran risks losing one of its most dependable export markets. The contract expired on July 29 after governing Iranian pipeline gas supplies to Turkey for 25 …
Read More »Does Geothermal Energy Have a Future in Iran?
Geothermal Projects Carry Substantial Risk Because Unsuccessful Wells or Underperforming Reservoirs Can Absorb CapitalThere is little good news inside Iran regarding electricity. The government long ago instituted rotations of blackouts and brownouts to manage shortages, but even these are no longer predictable. Although Iranian officials might blame the war, the …
Read More »From Manisa to Szeged: BYD’s shifting European investment strategy
In June 2026, Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer BYD confirmed that its planned $1 billion electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle factory in Manisa, western Turkiye, had been placed on indefinite hold. The project, signed with great ceremony in July 2024 in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had been presented as a …
Read More »From the Gulf to the Mediterranean: Energy infrastructure in the line of fire
On 29th July 2026, a suspected drone struck the Energos Winter, a US-owned floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), at Egypt’s Damietta port. The resulting fire spread to the nearby Gaslog Salem. Both crews were evacuated, the fire was contained, and no casualties were reported. Maritime security firms Ambrey and Vanguard identified …
Read More »The Promise and Perils of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Port of Yanbu
Yanbu May Relieve Immediate Pressure, but It Does Not Remove Geopolitical Risks for Saudi Arabia While cargo passage through the Strait of Hormuz is hampered, Saudi Arabia can benefit from the Red Sea port of Yanbu to export oil. The East-West Petroline pipeline allows Saudia Arabia to divert oil from fields in …
Read More »The US–Saudi nuclear deal: An energy partnership caught in a diplomatic ultimatum
The United States and Saudi Arabia took a step toward nuclear cooperation on 22nd July 22 2026, when U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a Section 123 Agreement. It creates the legal basis for civilian nuclear trade and comes with a bilateral safeguards agreement. Washington …
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