About this book:

*Oil, Gas, and Geopolitics: Iran's Energy Strategy in the 21st Century* provides a comprehensive analysis of Iran’s position as a global hydrocarbon heavyweight navigating a complex landscape of geological wealth and geopolitical constraints. The book details Iran’s formidable resource endowment, centered on the Zagros fold-thrust belt and the supergiant South Pars/North Dome gas field. It traces the sector’s evolution from colonial-era concessions to nationalization and modern-day state control, highlighting a persistent struggle to translate vast reserves into sustained economic influence amid mature field depletion and a desperate need for enhanced oil recovery technology.

The narrative explores the intricate "midstream" and "downstream" logistics, where an aging infrastructure of pipelines, storage, and refineries must meet soaring domestic demand fueled by heavy state subsidies. This internal consumption creates a perennial tug-of-war with export ambitions, as the state balances social stability with the need for hard currency. The book underscores the transformative role of natural gas, which serves as a domestic anchor and a regional diplomatic tool, while also acknowledging the missed opportunities in LNG development due to investment hurdles and technology restrictions.

A significant portion of the analysis is dedicated to the "shadow market" and the resilience of Iran’s energy diplomacy under various sanctions regimes. It examines the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, pipeline politics with neighbors like Turkey and Iraq, and the pivotal "Look East" policy toward China and India. Through case studies of contracts and disputes, the text illustrates the friction between sovereign control and the requirement for foreign capital, particularly through the lens of the JCPOA and relations with Russia and Europe.

Ultimately, the book offers a forward-looking perspective on Iran’s energy trajectory toward 2035 and 2050. It addresses emerging challenges such as the global energy transition, methane abatement, and cyber risks to infrastructure. The concluding chapters provide strategic recommendations, emphasizing the need for domestic subsidy reform, upstream modernization, and a diversified export strategy. The book portrays Iran as a resilient but constrained energy power whose future depends on its ability to navigate the relentless interplay between its geological fortune and a volatile international order.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Iran's immense hydrocarbon potential, particularly the South Pars/North Dome gas field (the world's largest non-associated gas accumulation), and how geological realities interact with technical, economic and political constraints to shape development strategies.
• The profound impact of sanctions on Iran's energy sector, including the emergence of shadow market mechanisms, workarounds like swap and barter arrangements, and how compliance requirements affect investment, financing, technology transfer and operational decisions.
• Iran's complex energy diplomacy involving pipeline politics with neighbors (Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Caucasus), maritime security challenges in the Strait of Hormuz, and evolving relationships with major powers including Russia, China, India and Europe.
• The critical tension between heavily subsidized domestic energy consumption (which encourages waste and strains fiscal accounts) and export ambitions, including how subsidy reform could unlock volumes for sale while creating political challenges.
• Forward-looking scenario planning to 2035 and 2050 examining how energy transition, technology adoption, sanctions regimes, regional dynamics and domestic policy choices will shape Iran's energy future across multiple plausible pathways.

Who's It For:

This book is essential reading for energy investors and analysts seeking to understand Iran's hydrocarbon potential and risks, policymakers and government officials working on energy policy or Iran-related issues, professionals in the oil and gas industry engaged in international projects, researchers and students of geopolitics or energy studies, and traders focused on Middle Eastern energy markets. It provides the technical, economic and geopolitical context needed to navigate Iran's complex energy landscape.