How Much is Iran’s Economy Recovering?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could not wait for the quarterly Economic Trends report published by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) to be issued. It showed that from March 2013 to March of this year, Iran’s GDP… Continue Reading

Explainer: The Oil Price Plunge

by Sara Vakhshouri In the past several days—despite the conflicts affecting Iraq, Syria, Iran and Russia—oil prices have been on a downward trend, hitting their lowest number in the past four years. As of October 2014, oil prices are more… Continue Reading

Iran’s Economy After One Year of Rouhani

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was elected to office largely on his promise to lift the economy out if its deepest recession since the Iran-Iraq war. One year later, evidence of a recovery is hard to find, but… Continue Reading

Iraqi Turmoil And the Global Oil Market

by Sara Vakhshouri On Saturday June 21, Iraq’s largest refinery at Baiji finally succumbed to the forces of the radical Sunni militant group, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, often referred to as the Islamic State in… Continue Reading

Russia, China Finally Sign $400 Billion Energy Deal: Why Now?

by Sara Vakhshouri After almost a decade of negotiations, Moscow reached a 400 billion dollar energy deal with Beijing yesterday, allowing the Russian state-controlled Gazprom to export gas to China for 30 years. The key agreement guarantees long-term market access… Continue Reading