US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Biden plans Mid-East Gulf shake-up
US diplomatic goals, if achieved, will impact the Iranian, Saudi and Yemeni energy sectors
President Joe Biden’s foreign policy speech at the State Department in early February gave subtle, but unequivocal, indications of how the new US administration’s views of the Middle East are radically different from those of the previous team. In listing America’s closest friends—ones he had contacted since taking office—he omitted Israel and all Arab states. The region’s autocrats know that relations with Washington are about to change: the president spoke of “rebuilding the muscle of democratic alliances”. Biden also dropped his predecessor’s habit of using foreign policy speeches to castigate Iran. He clearly wants to be careful not to complicate the role of his diplomatic corps, which h
Also in this section
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
