The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding is only a political commitment and carries no legally binding force. What truly matters is whether the two sides can conclude a formal peace agreement within the 60-day negotiating period. Three formidable hurdles stand in the way.

Iran is increasingly reorienting its foreign policy and economic strategy toward China and Eurasia, using expanded overland transport and energy links through Central and South Asia to reduce its vulnerability to sanctions and maritime disruption. This shift aligns with Beijing’s push for deeper trans-Eurasian connectivity and positions Iran as a more important partner in China's efforts to integrate the Eurasian continent through infrastructure, trade, and energy networks.

The U.S./Iran-linked energy crisis has shifted from a commodity shock to structural geopolitics, with Asia at the epicenter due to its dependence on imported oil and LNG. Global reverberations can no longer be avoided.

The question “Where is NATO heading?” has long been debated in academic circles. Under pressure from Donald Trump, the answer is gradually emerging: NATO’s trajectory mirrors that of many international institutions today, which are not collapsing abruptly but transforming themselves.

The Iran and Ukraine wars have shifted major-power competition from military confrontation to control over global energy routes, critical infrastructure, and supply chains.

Iraq once again stands at a dangerous crossroads. Trapped in a fragmented power‑sharing system and caught between security dependence on the United States and economic subordination to Iran, the finding a path to national reconstruction.

Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 34 percent among the American people, the lowest level of his second term. Given the U.S. war against Iran, the growing internal divisions within his administration and the rising inflationary pressure at home, Trump now has juggle a lot at once.

The announcement by the United Arab Emirates that it would withdraw from OPEC has drawn intense international attention. Should conditions in the Strait of Hormuz improve, the UAE would be well positioned to rapidly expand its share of the global oil market.

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is driving a new era of geoeconomics shaped by national security, trade disruption, and coercive power. The resulting energy shock is accelerating the global shift toward green energy and increasing China’s influence in the emerging economic order.