Iran

Stunning aerial view of Baku's Flame Towers with the Caspian Sea in the backdrop.

As Caspian states pursue energy growth, Iran watches

As Azerbaijan and other Caspian Sea states deepen partnerships with Western energy companies to extract more oil and gas from aging offshore fields, Iran stands apart as the only Caspian littoral country that produces no hydrocarbons from the sea at all. Across the region, governments are racing to modernize reservoir management as competition for long-term […]

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Aerial view of a ship docking at an industrial port with storage tanks in North Jakarta.

US seizure of tanker off Venezuela may squeeze Iran’s shadow oil trade

The seizure by US forces last week of an oil tanker in the Caribbean for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Iran and Venezuela may signal a policy shift that could endanger the funding of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s budget for this fiscal year had given the sprawling paramilitary body new economic power by

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Detailed view of Iranian rial banknotes held in hand, illustrating finance and economy in Iran.

Iran’s currency collapse accelerates as inflation surges

The Iranian rial has resumed falling at an increasingly rapid pace in recent days, with new record lows set almost daily. The Iranian currency has lost 20 percent of its value in just one month, with the U.S. dollar now trading at around 1.32 million. During this same period, the official data and domestic media

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Sub‑standard gas: Iran’s shift to low‑quality petrol

A grey afternoon in Tehran begins with the growl of thousands of vehicles. Yet beneath the familiar bustle lies a troubling transformation: the government has quietly shifted much of the country’s mobility onto low‑octane, additive‑laden petrol. Confidential data from the national refining and distribution company reveal that consumption of sub‑standard “ordinary” fuel has soared —

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Iran’s Dirty Revival — A 540% Jump in Mazut‑Burning in One Province

Over the past year, air pollution in Iranian cities has visibly worsened. But the smoke that hangs over Tehran, Zanjan, and Bushehr is more than seasonal haze — it is the result of a deliberate shift in energy policy. Confidential data from Iran’s Ministry of Oil, obtained and reviewed by Iran Open Data, reveal that

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Iran’s Escalating Air Pollution Crisis

On September 26, 2025, the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir ranked Tehran as the most polluted city in the world. A day later, the Iranian capital—along with several other major cities—experienced their most polluted days of the year. Air quality indices in parts of Tehran surpassed the “very unhealthy” threshold, while Mashhad, Isfahan, Urmia, Tabriz, Qom, and several

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Iran boosts gas exports to Turkey despite deepening domestic shortages

Despite facing a growing domestic gas deficit and widespread use of highly polluting fuel oil, Iran’s gas deliveries to Turkey have continued to surge according to official Turkish energy statistics. Newly released data from Turkey’s Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA), affiliated with the Ministry of Energy show that Iran supplied more than 5.5 billion cubic meters of

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A detailed view of a blue flame on a gas stove, illustrating heat and warmth.

Iran Watches Qatar’s Soaring Gas Exports from Shared Field

The International Energy Agency says Qatar will record the world’s fastest growth in natural gas exports over the next decade and, alongside the United States, will dominate most of the emerging global gas markets. The assessment is not so positive for Iran. According to the agency’s assessment, Iran exported around 15 billion cubic meters of

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Aerial view of a ship docking at an industrial port with storage tanks in North Jakarta.

Iran Increases Floating Oil Storage Amid Difficulty in Deliveries to China

New shipping data show that despite a surge in oil loadings from its Persian Gulf terminals over the past two months, Iran has faced difficulties in getting its crude to Chinese buyers, resulting in a large buildup of Iranian floating oil storage near Chinese waters. Data from the commodity analytics firm Kpler indicate that over

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Double squeeze: Iran faces record capital flight as oil revenues fall

ran’s Central Bank’s latest quarterly report shows capital flight hit a historic peak in the spring of 2025, underscoring the depth of the country’s financial strain. The report, published on the Bank’s website, puts the capital account balance in the first quarter of the fiscal year (beginning March 21) at around minus $9 billion, the

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