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The United States and Iran are fighting not just because of their differences, but also because of their similarities. Both countries see themselves as exceptional civilizations shaped by religion and sustained by a sense of victimhood. Each believes it has been repeatedly wronged by the other and is therefore acting defensively. This mutual narrative has become one of the most powerful forces shaping U.S.–Iran relations. Both nations interpret the relationship through different historical starting points. Because their memories of the conflict…
2026 is shaping up to be a ‘hot year for lithium.’ The metal, which is sometimes referred to as ‘white gold’ due to skyrocketing demand for the stuff, is integral in the production of all kinds of technology and clean energy manufacturing. You probably have at least one lithium-ion battery within arms reach at this very moment inside of your phone or smartwatch or any number of other rechargeable devices. And while lithium prices have been volatile for years as producers struggle to match production with demand growth,…
The Middle East war and the mother of all oil shocks—the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz—have exposed the global dependence on oil and gas as buyers scramble for cargoes and consumers once again bear the brunt of spiking energy prices. Before the war, the world had just overcome the energy system disruption from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the embargoes on Russian energy in most of the developed economies. Some thought this was the biggest energy shock this decade, and most governments placed energy security ahead of…
The war in Iran is sending shockwaves through global energy markets that will be felt for years to come. The conflict is causing the single biggest oil supply disruption in history, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused a nine-day disruption of 20 percent of the world’s oil transports, more-than doubling the previous record set during the Suez crisis of 1956. But the war and its energy market impacts represent much more than just economic chaos – they are also the harbingers of serious and lasting human and environmental…
QatarEnergy’s shutdown of its LNG production complex has resulted in a streak of five days with zero shipments of the superchilled fuel, according to Kpler data cited by Bloomberg. This is the longest period with no Qatari LNG leaving the country since 2008, the publication noted, adding no LNG carrier has passed the Strait of Hormuz since February 28. That includes vessels normally exporting liquefied gas from the UAE, meaning 20% of the world’s LNG exports are gone. QatarEnergy — the state-owned energy giant responsible for…
