No serious policymaker should want an open-ended confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, but a deal that rewards Iran for closing or restricting the strait would create a long-term problem in exchange for short-term calm The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. In normal …
Read More »Ukrainian MP says lifting sanctions on Russian oil puts ‘question mark’ over friendship with UK
The Ukrainian MP said the decision told Russia that ‘everything can be bought and everything is for sale’Bryony GoochThursday 21 May 2026 00:47 EDT A Ukrainian politician has condemned the British government for loosening sanctions on Russian oil, saying it “puts a question mark” on the UK’s friendship with Ukraine. The government …
Read More »Iraq’s Delayed Gulf Cooperation Council Power Link Deepens Summer Electricity Risks
Baghdad Struggles with Rising Demand, Limited Domestic Generation, and Heavy Dependence on Iran for Fuel SuppliesIraq has been told that the long-awaited Gulf Cooperation Council electrical interconnection project will not arrive on schedule, leaving Baghdad with one fewer option before the summer heat. The project was due to begin operating …
Read More »China’s Legal Shield Against U.S. Sanctions on Iranian Oil
On May 2, 2026, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued a landmark prohibition order under its 2021 Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extraterritorial Application of Foreign Legislation and Other Measures, commonly known as China’s Blocking Rules. The order bars the recognition, enforcement, or compliance inside China with U.S. sanctions imposed on five Chinese …
Read More »The long shock: How the Iran war is remaking the global economy
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz marks a rupture in the post-1970s energy order, with consequences that may redefine how the global economy functions The US and Israeli-led war on Iran has initiated a chain reaction that has culminated in the most significant oil supply disruption in modern history. Iran’s retaliatory strikes against …
Read More »Chokepoints and control: Iran war and the new geopolitics of connectivity
The most consequential conflicts are no longer fought over land, but over the networks that bind the world together and over who gets to use them, and on what terms In the aftermath of the Iran war, global power dynamics would shift decisively from territorial control to the management of …
Read More »The immense cost of Iran’s nuclear program
Erfan Kasraie- DWIran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes, including energy production. But the figures and statistics paint a different picture. he peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad failed to deliver an agreement, with one key issue proving to be the main sticking …
Read More »Iran sees hundreds of thousands of jobs lost due to war
Shabnam von Hein04/15/2026April 15, 2026After six weeks of war, job losses are growing in Iran. Destroyed industrial facilities have brought production in many sectors to a standstill, hitting Iranian workers particularly hard. More than 93 million people in Iran are living in the shadow of a war that could flare …
Read More »Ghalibaf’s rise signals Iran’s turn towards Bonapartism
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf’s rising influence increasingly reflects a Bonapartist adaptation towards centralised authority exercised by an insider promising order without structural reform The concept of “Ghalibaf and Bonapartism” has emerged as a useful analytical lens for understanding the Islamic Republic’s evolving power structure amid mounting domestic and international …
Read More »Kharg Island: The oil lifeline that could ignite a global energy shock
If the conflict intensifies and Kharg’s export facilities become targets, the result could be a severe supply disruption that drives oil prices sharply higher and destabilises energy markets worldwide. In most wars, geography quietly shapes the outcome. In the escalating confrontation between Iran, Israel, and the United States, one small …
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