Any new agreement between Iran and the United States could bring Iran’s rivals in the region closer together. It is obvious that Turkey and Saudi Arabia must solve the existing problems within the framework of their national interests to play a more active role in the region in the post-COVID …
Read More »Iranian sanctions evasion and the Gulf’s complex oil trade
Sanctions have had a devastating impact on Iran’s oil production and exports, preventing much-needed investment in the country’s ageing fields and barring it from legally exporting crude oil to global customers. Using a range of evasion tactics, however, Iran has succeeded in circumventing sanctions and maintaining a steady — albeit …
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 »The Iran-Saudi Arabia normalisation process
Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been strained in recent years. Both countries pursue conflicting interests in particular issues in the region with a specific ideology in foreign policy. The two countries are rivals not only in the Islamic world and the region, but also in OPEC and the energy market …
Read More »The Future of the U.S. Maximum Pressure Campaign on Iran under Biden
Aiming to force the Iranian regime to negotiate its regional policies, the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018 and imposed tough sanctions on the country. This “maximum pressure campaign” has certainly put significant economic pressure on Iran — especially now as it is …
Read More »Can Iran Exploit Its Remaining Oil Wealth?
As the Islamic Republic continues to fall behind in the rapidly evolving global energy industry, will it ever be able to take advantage of what remains of its enormous oil and gas wealth? Since Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979, the country’s oil and gas sector has continuously suffered from sanctions, …
Read More »U.S. Presidential Election and Iran Oil Export
The upcoming U.S. presidential election presents a major political challenge for Iran’s economy, especially its energy sector and foreign exchange market. As the geopolitics of energy change, all developments directly impact the foreign policies of energy-producing and consuming countries. In the field of international relations, energy resources are sources of power, which if used …
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 »China and Iran’s Strategic Partnership: A Zero Sum Game?
Iran and China first announced a long-term 25-year strategic partnership in 2016, with a draft document of the accord reportedly approved last week. Cooperation between the two countries will include China’s financial and technological participation in major projects such as highways, railways, oil and gas fields, the tourism industry, information technology and …
Read More »Present and Potential Dynamics of China’s Energy Policy with Tehran and Riyadh
The continuation of sanctions and the reduction of Iran’s oil share in the world market have caused many problems for all sectors of Iran’s energy industry and economy, and it will see an increase in problems in most areas due to the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy. Currently, the Iranian …
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