Iran wants Caspian 'release valve' opened
Sanctions-hit Iran and its neighbours are seeking to resolve boundary uncertainties to unlock further oil and gas reserves in the Caspian Sea
Representatives from the five Caspian states are due to meet in Kazakhstan in August to sign a convention on the legal status of the sea. It's a chance for Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to agree the demarcation of oil blocks in a region that's becoming increasingly attractive for the sector as a counterweight to the politically risky Middle East. US president Donald Trump's 8 May decision to re-impose nuclear sanctions on Iran and withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has focused minds at oil companies on the risks of doing business with Tehran. These could potentially cover Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz development, given Iran's national oil company
Also in this section
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
3 March 2026
The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US–Israeli strikes marks the most serious escalation in the region in decades and a bigger potential threat to the oil market than the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis
