انرژی و اقتصاد

Policy Analysis on انرژی و اقتصاد

President Donald Trump meeting with King Salman in Saudi Arabia in 2017 - source: Reuters

President Trump’s High-Stakes Gulf Trip Requires More Than Good Business

The president is expected to focus on big investment deals and arms sales during his Gulf tour, but he also needs to address some urgent security issues if he wants to come home with a win.

۸ مهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Elizabeth Dent
Simon Henderson

Photo of an oil facility in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Articles & Testimony

Iraqi Oil and the Iran Threat Network

Terrorist organizations are exploiting Iraq’s energy sector to the tune of billions of dollars per year, raising the need for more intensive efforts to trace how revenues are routed into oil “voucher” programs and other diversion schemes.

April 2025

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Michael Knights

Flight deck crew issues commands to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet prior to launch from the carrier USS Harry S. Truman - source: Department of Defense

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Is the Houthi Threat a Checkmate for U.S. Military Logistics?

The Iran-backed militia’s disruption of Red Sea shipping is threatening America’s ability to rapidly deploy and supply its forces in the Middle East and beyond, but a combination of logistical workarounds, military measures, and diplomatic efforts may be the answer.

۲۱ آوریل ۲۰۲۵

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James E. Shepard

Brief Analysis

What a U.S.-Saudi Nuclear “Pathway” Might Mean for the Iran Talks

Rather than clearing a route to normalization with Israel, a Saudi nuclear agreement with Washington may be key to addressing Iran’s military nuclear potential and wider proliferation concerns in the region.

۱۶ آوریل ۲۰۲۵

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Simon Henderson

Photo of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.

Brief Analysis

Setting Up the Next Phase of U.S.-UAE Nuclear Cooperation

With the U.S. point man on energy development touring the Gulf and Chinese and Russian nuclear initiatives on the rise, the Trump administration should consider how best to replicate the responsible Emirati model elsewhere in the region.

۱۱ آوریل ۲۰۲۵

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Noam Raydan

Articles & Testimony

Trump’s Gulf Trip Will Test Regional Nerves and Alliances

With oil prices sliding and Iran talks ahead, the Gulf states are bracing for a high-stakes presidential visit.

۹ آوریل ۲۰۲۵

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Simon Henderson

Screenshot from MarineTraffic shows tracks of the Marina between Cyprus and Syria on March 28, 2025.

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Hezbollah-Linked LPG Tanker Sails to East Mediterranean

Past ties between the Marina and the Lebanese terrorist group, along with the ship’s deceptive practices at sea, merit U.S. scrutiny.

۲۸ مارس ۲۰۲۵

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Noam Raydan

◆ Maritime Spotlight

The Mari-B and Tamar gas platforms in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel - source: The Washington Institute

Brief Analysis

New Gas Licenses Go Ahead on the Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border

Hezbollah’s recent military defeat and the 2022 Israel-Lebanon maritime agreement mediated by Washington have enabled exploration in a distant corner of Israel’s exclusive economic zone.

۲۴ مارس ۲۰۲۵

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Simon Henderson

Iranians shop in a Tehran market ahead of Nowruz celelbrations in 2024 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Sour National Mood Could Complicate U.S. Engagement

When it comes to fixing serious problems with the economy, energy, and other sectors, the reformists have been just as ineffective as the hardliners, eroding any legitimacy they might claim to reopen nuclear negotiations with Washington.

۶ مارس ۲۰۲۵

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Patrick Clawson

A Russian crude oil tanker transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2024 - source: Reuters

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Syria’s Quest for Oil May Include Russian Shipments

As the new government looks for quick answers to its emergency energy needs, it may turn to sanctioned Russian ship operators and other illicit actors.

۵ مارس ۲۰۲۵

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Noam Raydan

Articles & Testimony

Make Iraq Independent of Iranian Energy

By letting previous waivers expire, the United States can help Baghdad establish other suppliers and stand on its own feet for the first time.

۵ مارس ۲۰۲۵

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Michael Knights

Sunbathers gather on Al-Baida beach in Lebanon - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Trump Should Aim for a “Riviera” in Lebanon

Beirut stands at the goal line of a major win for the Middle East, but only if America quarterbacks the last push.

۳ مارس ۲۰۲۵

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Hanin Ghaddar
Zohar Palti

Syrian men attempt to repair electrical lines damaged by forces loyal to the Assad regime in 2013 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Does Syria’s Electricity Crisis Have an Israeli Solution?

Whether authorities call it “Egyptian gas” or “Jordanian gas,” the simple fact is that Israeli offshore supplies could help with Syria’s major power shortage if the necessary arrangements are ironed out.

۲۴ فوریهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Simon Henderson

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in 2018 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

A Russian Win in Ukraine Would Be a U.S. Loss in the Middle East

With preparatory peace talks in full swing and the war set to enter its fourth year, Washington must take a pragmatic approach to enlisting Arab help and ensuring that the outcome does not empower Moscow and Iran.

۱۸ فوریهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Illustration of chess pieces and the Russian and Ukrainian flags - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Ukraine Can Help Dismantle Russia’s Influence in the Middle East

With strategic Western support on grain deliveries, embassy staffing, counter-messaging, and other initiatives, Ukraine can contribute much to rolling back Moscow’s malign influence in the region.

۱۱ فوریهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Anna Borshchevskaya

A Houthi helicopter approaches a civilian cargo ship in the Red Sea in 2023 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Despite the Houthi Pledge to Limit Attacks, the Red Sea Remains Highly Volatile

The Houthis have shown little willingness or ability to accurately distinguish between the ships they target, leaving Washington and its partners with no choice but to doubt the group’s supposed “ceasefire” and keep up the pressure.

۲۷ ژانویهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Noam Raydan
Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Expect the Unexpected with Trump and the Gulf

Whatever the new administration decides on major regional issues—from Gulf involvement in postwar Gaza to next steps on Iran—local leaders should be prepared to wait awhile and brace for surprises.

۲۴ ژانویهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Making Iran Choose Between the Bomb and Bankruptcy

The regime’s fears of new oil restrictions, simmering domestic unrest, eroding regional deterrence, and unpredictable U.S.-Israeli military action can all be leveraged to steer Khamenei away from racing toward a nuclear weapon.

۱۳ ژانویهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Hamdi Malik

Articles & Testimony

In Syria, the U.S. Can Help Rebuild While Supplanting Russian Influence

Moscow’s position has weakened, but not for long, raising the need for quick U.S. action on sanctions, investments, and broader economic assistance.

۱۱ ژانویهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Anna Borshchevskaya

French President Macron and Moroccan King Mohammed VI in Rabat - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

EU-Morocco Relations: Stuck Between Law and Politics?

If Washington and its European partners fail to remediate ongoing disputes over trade rights and Western Sahara, they may leave room for Russia and China to assert more influence in the kingdom.

۸ ژانویهٔ ۲۰۲۵

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Souhire Medini

Supported by the

Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy

The Washington Institute's Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy embodies the Institute's long-term research focus on the conservative Arab Gulf states -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman -- and the key role these countries play collectively as a primary source of the world's oil and natural gas.

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