President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Syria as a possible alternative to the Strait of Hormuz has pushed an old energy-security problem back to the center of Middle Eastern strategy. On September 3, Trump reacted positively to a Washington Post report describing Syria’s effort to market itself as an overland corridor from …
Read More »Natural gas, corridors, and security: Why Turkey wants Egypt in the Mecca Pact
The Eastern Mediterranean’s importance is often measured by its gas discoveries, but reserves acquire strategic value only when they can reach consumers. Egypt’s Zohr, Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan, and Cyprus’s Aphrodite, Glaucus and Cronos have given the basin a substantial resource base. Yet Egypt occupies the pivotal position because its Idku …
Read More »Iran’s missing fuel: Can border smuggling explain it all?
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 »Who really owns the Caspian Sea?
Amir Soltanzadeh 08/19/2026August 19, 2026 Five countries border the Caspian Sea, but none owns a fixed share. A 2018 convention established rules for navigation, security and fishing while leaving some seabed borders unresolved. For decades, debate in Iran over the Caspian Sea has often centered on a deceptively simple question: What percentage …
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 »Attacks on UAE vessels raise risks for Indian crude imports. But LPG, LNG supplies far more vulnerable
India may avoid a crude supply crunch, but persistent attacks on Gulf shipping could raise freight, insurance and fuel costs, while putting LPG and LNG supplies at riskNew Delhi: Recent attacks on UAE’s state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) vessels and Saudi energy infrastructure are unlikely to leave India short …
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