How Russia gains from the Hormuz supply shock
The US may be systemically stripping Russia of key geopolitical allies, but Moscow can reap rewards from the Hormuz crisis, both in the short and long term
The US successfully toppling the Iranian regime would represent a major geopolitical disaster for Russia. Moscow would lose its main ally in the Middle East, which it has relied on for years for military cooperation. projecting influence across the region and countering Western power. That loss would follow Washington’s capture in January of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro—another Kremlin ally—and his replacement with a new leader who thus far has been far more amenable to US interests. Meanwhile, Washington is also increasing pressure on the regime in Cuba, another longstanding partner of Moscow, through an oil blockade. If one were to take a Russia-centric view of US foreign policy, Wa
Also in this section
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
13 April 2026
For GCC producers, the ceasefire may prove more destabilising than the war itself: exports remain constrained, and control over Hormuz has shifted in ways that could endure






