Geopolitical Risk

Total is keen for a stake in the expansion of Qatar’s world-leading LNG facilities. With existing connections to Doha, and LNG expertize, it looks well placed to succeed. It’s also looking to bid in Abu Dhabi’s debut licencing round – if the geology is right.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s oil sector received further positive news this week with a breakthrough on a long-stalled deal to increase near-term...

Austrian firm OMV is currently testing wellheads at its Block S2 in Yemen’s central Shabwa basin, CEO Rainer Seele tells...

The IEAs’ first oil market outlook for 2019 highlights both the uncertainties surrounding next week’s Opec meeting in Vienna and...

Iran has received a geopolitical boost from two summits in two continents. At the G7 in Montreal, US efforts to secure the buy-in of key allies on Iran sanctions took a hit, whilst in China, Iran held crucial talks with Russia and major Asian economies.

With Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s retention of power seemingly a fait accompli, the Iranian presence in Syria is falling under...

Jordan’s monarchy finds itself torn between implementing tough economic reforms and subsidizing a declining standard of living. GCC assistance will be welcomed in Amman, but it hardly addresses the crux of the problem.

Iran sought to paint an exaggeratedly positive picture of its long-delayed crude swap deal with Iraq this week. On 3...

One year on, Qatar has made no meaningful concessions to Saudi Arabia and its allies. Unimpeded oil and gas exports have enabled it to largely offset the disruption.

Doha has marked the 1st anniversary of the Saudi-led embargo with a high-profile Exxon hook-up. The move highlights the futility of efforts to isolate Qatar.

When Opec meets in Vienna on 22 June, it will have to decide on the future of a production deal...

Amid pressure from Jordan’s largest protests since the Arab Spring, Prime Minister-designate Omar Razzaz announced 7 June the government would...