Thursday , October 1 2026

Energy Market

Natural gas, corridors, and security: Why Turkey wants Egypt in the Mecca Pact

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (5th L), Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C) and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (5th R) pose for a family photo after signing a trilateral joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on August 7, 2026. [TUR Presidency /Murat Cetinmuhurdar – Anadolu Agency]

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 …

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Is the United Arab Emirates’ Iran Trade Freeze Economic Shock or Strategic Pivot?

Workers load a ship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Shutterstock

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 …

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Who really owns the Caspian Sea?

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea's legal status has been the subject of lengthy negotiations among its five bordering states

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 …

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Does Geothermal Energy Have a Future in Iran?

A power station in Shiraz, Iran. Shutterstock

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 …

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Attacks on UAE vessels raise risks for Indian crude imports. But LPG, LNG supplies far more vulnerable

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 6, 2026. | Stringer / REUTERS

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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