US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Biden plans Mid-East Gulf shake-up
US diplomatic goals, if achieved, will impact the Iranian, Saudi and Yemeni energy sectors
President Joe Biden’s foreign policy speech at the State Department in early February gave subtle, but unequivocal, indications of how the new US administration’s views of the Middle East are radically different from those of the previous team. In listing America’s closest friends—ones he had contacted since taking office—he omitted Israel and all Arab states. The region’s autocrats know that relations with Washington are about to change: the president spoke of “rebuilding the muscle of democratic alliances”. Biden also dropped his predecessor’s habit of using foreign policy speeches to castigate Iran. He clearly wants to be careful not to complicate the role of his diplomatic corps, which h
Also in this section
21 February 2025
While large-scale planned LNG schemes in sub-Saharan Africa have faced fresh problems, FLNG projects are stepping into that space
20 February 2025
Greater social mobility means increased global demand for refined fuels and petrochemical products, with Asia leading the way in the expansion of refining capacity
19 February 2025
The EU would do well to ease its gas storage requirements to avoid heavy purchase costs this summer, with the targets having created market distortion while giving sellers a significant advantage over buyers
18 February 2025
Deliveries to China decline by around 1m b/d from move to curb crude exports to Shandong port, putting Iran under further economic pressure
