Iran looks to Asia for sanction relief
European firms will be wary of doing business with Iran under US sanctions, but China and India are among states which won’t back off
The unilateral US decision in May to impose stringent new sanctions on Iran and withdraw from the international Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has prompted widespread discussion that more than 1m barrels a day of oil output will be lost. But oil industry and shipping officials suggest that the near-term shortfall, if any, may be less than many fear; although the longer-term effects on Iran's oil and gas sector are likely to be very negative. The JCPOA was agreed in 2015, and the following year Iranian oil production reached its highest level since just before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, at 4.6m b/d including condensates and natural gas liquids, according to the BP Statistical Re
Also in this section
10 March 2026
From Venezuela to Hormuz, the US—backed by the most powerful military force ever assembled—is redrawing not only oil and gas flows but also the global balance of energy power
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent






