Between war and relief: how Azerbaijan is positioning itself as a humanitarian lifeline to Iran

In this context, analysts are turning their attention to Afghanistan, which could become a key link in a new route bypassing Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. However, active development and use of this route are constrained by the Taliban’s limited capacity to enable Afghanistan to play such a role.

United Arab Emirates has announced its withdrawal from OPEC from 1 may, a move that analysts say reflects a combination of economic priorities, geopolitical recalibration and growing tensions within the producer group, and could have far-reaching implications for oil prices and the cohesion of the broader OPEC+ alliance.

For several years, Russia has steadily expanded its presence across Africa, stepping into the vacuum left by Western powers and offering military support to governments facing international isolation, often without political conditions. Yet the events unfolding in Mali over recent days suggest that this strategy may be encountering deeper constraints than previously assumed.

When American aircraft carriers begin converging toward the narrow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, it is rarely just a signal. It is a language of power — understood simultaneously by allies, adversaries, and markets. Today, that language is звучит especially loudly.