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
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
