From the moment the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the ‘nuclear deal’ (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) with Iran on 8 May 2018, it has been on the defensive in the Middle East, as analysed in full in my new book on the new global oil market order. The withdrawal, rather than a renegotiation of the deal from a position of power as it was still in force and keeping Iran at least vaguely in check, opened the way for a dramatic expansion of Chinese and Russian influence across the region. This culminated in the…
