Blog Post

Baghdad is weaponizing economic levers to punish the Kurdistan region for signing energy pacts with U.S. firms and for aligning with President Trump’s commercial diplomacy.

Payments by Aramco are still the key driver of government revenue in Saudi Arabia despite the notable increase in non-oil revenue, particularly from the value-added tax, in recent years.

The coming weeks will offer clarity about whether President Trump’s claim – “China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran” – signals an informal, recalibration of Washington’s Iran sanctions strategy or a tactical feint without lasting repercussions.

The latest regional conflict reinforced how difficult it is to severely disrupt economic momentum in the Gulf Cooperation Council while highlighting genuine threats to economic security and public safety in the region.

If Iran decides to continue retaliation, the Houthis will likely be part of that response at some point.

Moscow relied on Iranian drones in Ukraine. Now that the situation is reversed, will Russia help Iran rebuild its deterrence after Israel’s deep strikes?

The current cease-fire may just be an interregnum between rounds of conflict between Israel and Iran, as Iranian decision makers appear more inclined to pursue strategic parity than capitulate.

While the just-announced cease-fire provides only a very preliminary indication of how the crisis with Iran will end, some questions can be answered, and those answers offer valuable insight.