Wednesday , September 9 2026

Tag Archives: Iran

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 …

Read More »

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 …

Read More »

Iran signals gas price hike as fuel crisis looms

Image: Vahid Salemi/AP Photo/picture alliance

Amir Soltanzadeh Iranian authorities want to dampen fuel consumption, but a sudden increase in gasoline prices risks social unrest as many Iranian households are already under severe economic pressure Iran is moving closer to politically sensitive changes in gasoline pricing as the government struggles with a widening gap between domestic …

Read More »

Chokepoints of power: Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the new corridor wars

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait. [Photo/AA]

The concept of “corridor wars” describes intensifying competition among major powers over critical trade, energy, and transit routes in an era of weaponized interdependence. Unlike traditional territorial conflicts, these struggles center on controlling, securing, bypassing, or disrupting chokepoints: narrow maritime passages and overland links through which global commerce flows. Key arenas include …

Read More »