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Letter from the Middle East: Iran-Israel war risks dire straits
A blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have reverberations that would sound around the world
Israel-Iran war imperils Egypt’s energy supply
Egypt’s government was already preparing for potential energy shortages this summer, and the loss of Israeli gas supply has made things worse
The oil risk premium fable
Israel’s attack on Iran caught oil firms with low inventories due to their efforts to protect themselves from falling prices, creating a perfect storm
Saudi Arabia and Russia pull OPEC+ in different directions
The two oil heavyweights’ diverging fiscal considerations are straining unity within the group
Iraq seeks alternatives to Iranian gas
The country is facing energy shortfalls this summer amid reduced Iranian gas imports and difficulties leasing an FSRU
Is a Russia-Iran gas deal on the horizon?
Russia has ample spare gas, and Iran needs it, but sanctions and pricing pose steep hurdles.
Saudi-US energy ties adapt to multipolar world
Saudi Arabia and US relations can construct a new ‘field of dreams’, but opportunism may be the new rules of the game
A new energy order in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
The two Gulf states are combining fossil fuel production with ambitions to become leaders in low-carbon energy
Letter from Saudi Arabia: Energy, diplomacy and the art of the deal
Saudi Arabia is growing as a geopolitical and diplomatic force amid an increasingly fractured world
Qatar’s Syria gas deal makes regional waves
The Gulf state’s offer to supply electricity-starved Syria is an opportunity to support a key ally, but Doha’s ambitions to build broader pipeline networks to Turkey and Europe face challenges
Syria Yemen Saudi Arabia Iran Iraq Israel Egypt
Ian Black
28 January 2019
Follow @PetroleumEcon
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Middle East flashpoints on the horizon

Opportunities for resolving some conflicts in 2019 look more positive than before, but the region's fundamental crises remain entrenched

Anyone looking out for events and trends that will matter in the Middle East in 2019 should stay focused on the murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. The repercussions of that shocking episode are set to continue with the potential to undermine Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his ambitious economic and social reforms–perhaps along with the kingdom's place in the strategic calculations of the US in the disruptive days of President Donald Trump. The stakes are high. The crown prince is aiming to wean Saudis off their long dependence on oil and needs to maintain domestic support and attract foreign investment to diversify the econo

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