Is Secretary Bessent Merging the Petrodollar with Argentina-Style Dollar Domination?

In a landmark testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee and follow-up statements, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has outlined a bold new strategy: expanding permanent dollar swap facilities with Gulf and Asian allies to reinforce U.S. dollar dominance amid global energy shocks. This comes as the traditional petrodollar framework—anchored by a 50-year arrangement with Saudi […]

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Iran appears to have increased flaring to keep the oil and gas fields stable to avoid shut-ins

Satellite observations from the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines reveal a notable divergence in upstream gas flaring trends across the Middle East in early 2026. While countries like Iraq, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia showed sharp declines in flaring activity amid regional conflict, Iran registered a net increase of 84 […]

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Demand Destruction is on the Horizon with a Billion-Barrel Hormuz Oil Shock About to Send Prices Up

As the Iran war enters its third month, the world is staring down the barrel of the largest oil supply disruption in history. The Strait of Hormuz—the chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of global petroleum trade—has been effectively closed to most non-Iranian shipping since early March 2026. Bloomberg’s latest analysis warns that the resulting “billion-barrel oil […]

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Russian Oil Market is Reshaping: EU’s Oil Crisis Creates Long-Term Wins for Moscow

As of April 23, 2026, the European Union finds itself in the throes of a deepening oil crisis, one that underscores the fragility of its post-Russia-sanctions energy strategy. Russia’s strategic redirection of Kazakh oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline—announced today by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak—has pushed Germany and much of the EU into what […]

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