Utilizing energy exports as a political tool in foreign policy and making fuel shipments to allies to help enhance their security have been of interest to Iran in recent years. Lebanon is a case in point as Iran and its proxy, the Hezbollah, have tried to use fuel as a …
Read More »Iranian-Azerbaijani Relations Under the New Raisi Administration
Despite a rapprochement of sorts in 2019 (see EDM, March 20, 2019), Iran’s relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan faced new strains and challenges during the final year of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency (set to end on August 3, 2021), especially following the outbreak of the Second Karabakh War in late September …
Read More »Ship Attacks in the Persian Gulf: Another Manifestation of an Iranian-Israeli Proxy War?
Will the ongoing ‘ships war’ between Iran and Israel escalate? The Iran-Israel conflict has its own identity that goes beyond the geopolitical considerations of the Middle East. The Iran-Israel dispute is more ideological; that is, this confrontation has nothing to do with the national interests of the two countries or …
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 »Eastern Mediterranean Natural Gas Exploration Dispute
Disputes over right to explore gas in Eastern Mediterranean have become a very contentious issue during the last few years. Especially after Turkey in January 2020 signed maritime deal with the Tripoli- based Government of National Accord (GNA). Turkey signed the bilateral maritime deal with Libya in response to the …
Read More »Q&A: ‘Russia is not willing to reduce its share of the European gas market’
In an interview with TRT World, energy security analyst Omid Shokri Kalehsar touched upon several aspects of competing foreign policies in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Moscow would like to play a dominant role in the overall energy equation. The race for extracting energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean presents various …
Read More »Saudi Nuclear Diplomacy and the Onset of Competition in the Region
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has had a comprehensive plan to reduce the share of oil in the economy, and it is seeking to increase the share of both renewable energy and natural gas in electricity production for export. It is also investing in high value-added products to reduce dependence …
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