China sold Iran the spy satellite it used to target U.S., Arab assets;
Russia oil imports help offset Middle East supply shortfalls;
China and Turkmenistan ink deal to expand Galkynysh gas field;
Seven nuclear reactors to be commissioned this year;
Tianlong-3 rocket fails on debut
Iran’s economy is already crippled, but still resilient. The US economy is less threatened, but its political system is less tolerant of short-term economic pain.
In the wake of this weekend’s failed negotiations in Islamabad, the Iran conflict is back on. So, too, are the Trump administration’s efforts to bring the Islamic Republic to heel.
After the failed negotiations this weekend in Islamabad and the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas, the conflict appears poised to resume. Yet Washington heads into the next phase with a clearer understanding of the stakes because the past six-plus weeks have offered a stark lesson about the insecurity of global energy and the vulnerability of maritime choke points.