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COMMENT: Russia’s Iran gamble risks sacrificing Gulf strategy for tactical gains
Russia’s deepening entanglement in the crisis around Iran is delivering short-term geopolitical dividends, but at a potentially high strategic cost.
Gulf oil output could recover within months of Hormuz reopening, Goldman Sachs says
Gulf crude oil production could recover to close to pre-war levels within a few months of the Strait of Hormuz safely reopening, according to Goldman Sachs.
Iran war's fertiliser shock sets the stage for a slow-burning food inflation crisis
The Iran war's most insidious economic aftershock may not be measured in oil price spikes or shipping costs, but in the price of the nutrients that grow the world's food.
Trump's blockade of Hormuz fails as dozens of tankers pass through - FT
The Trump administration naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz failed after at least 34 tankers with links to Iran passed through the narrow waterway and exited the Persian Gulf in defiance of the US warships attempts to halt Iran’s oil exports.
COMMENT: Why China is hedging for now in the Middle East
As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way.
Middle Corridor in play
Squeezed by a sanctioned Russia to the north and a war prone Middle East to the south, the Middle Corridor that runs through Central Asia and the Caucasus is back in play as the main route connecting Europe to Asia by land.
IMF: War Darkens Global Economic Outlook and Reshapes Policy Priorities
The Middle East conflict halted growth momentum. The right policies and stronger global cooperation are needed to contain the damage.
IMF: Middle East to see economic contractions in 2026 - Statista
Several Middle Eastern economies are expected to contract in 2026 in the wake of the war in Iran, which broke out in late February, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook, reports Statista.
Could it be Goodbye Dubai, Hello Istanbul?
International investors unnerved by events in the Gulf may look to relocate. Turkey might seem a good choice – but things are rather more complicated than that.
Ankara proposes grand rewiring of Middle East energy export map amid Hormuz blockade
Turkey wants to see a slew of Gulf and other pipelines converge on its territory to ensure the world will never again be cut off from sufficient oil and gas.
IMF the first to improve Russia’s growth outlook on Iran war windfall
The International Monetary Fund has become the first institution to raise its forecast for Russia’s economic growth in 2026 in anticipation of the windfall it is expected to earn from the effects of the Iran war related spike in energy prices.
World leaders head to Beijing, as China becomes geopolitical fulcrum
The Trump administration’s being ostracized by the international community for America’s war mongering. That is making China a fulcrum in the East-West clash that now has its centre of gravity in the Middle East.
IMF the first to improve Russia’s growth outlook on Iran war windfall
The International Monetary Fund has become the first institution to raise its forecast for Russia’s economic growth in 2026 in anticipation of the windfall it is expected to earn from the effects of the Iran war related spike in energy prices.
COMMENT: The US and Israel ostracised by the global community
For most of the first year of the Trump administration, America’s so-called western allies spent most of their time flattering, toadying and attempting to manipulate the US President’s ego. That time is over.
Kremlin flags Hormuz risk, cautious on Magyar victory in Hungarian elections
The Kremlin has warned that a potential US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would deliver a direct shock to global markets, even as Moscow positions itself as both an energy anchor and a diplomatic intermediary in a rapidly widening crisis.
COMMENT: The US naval blockade of Iran won't work
The US is moving to choke Iran’s oil lifeline. The market is starting to price something much bigger because the Trump administration naval blockade of Iran is not going to work.
Trump orders naval blockage of Iran in a new shockwave for energy markets
Following the collapse of ceasefire talks this weekend US President Donald Trump has ordered a full naval blockade of shipping into and out of the Persian Gulf.
US naval showdown with Iran in strait of Hormuz
As talks got underway in Islamabad between Iran and the US to find a ceasefire formula, a dramatic showdown was playing out in the Strait of Hormuz, as several US Navy vessels attempted to sneak through and exit the Persian Gulf,
Naphtha shortages leading to petrochemical plants force majeures and record prices
Petrochemical producers across Asia have begun shutting down operations after disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz reduced supplies of the critical naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) feedstocks.
Iran's military warns forces 'on the trigger' as Islamabad talks set to begin
Iran's central military command says forces remain "on the trigger" and vows to keep control of the Strait of Hormuz, hours before US-Iran ceasefire talks are due to begin at Islamabad's Serena Hotel.