{"id":2629772,"date":"2026-07-14T18:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-long-can-iran-play-its-energy-card\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T18:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:05:49","slug":"how-long-can-iran-play-its-energy-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-long-can-iran-play-its-energy-card\/","title":{"rendered":"How long can Iran play its energy card?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-long-can-iran-play-its-energy-card%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2629772&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Iran faced significant losses in its conflict with the United States and Israel, but maintained influence through a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which disrupted global oil supply. IranS blockade,initiated in March,halted a fifth of the world&#8217;s oil trade and caused economic turmoil worldwide,prompting a shift in U.S. strategy from regime change to nuclear negotiations aimed at restoring the status quo. <\/p>\n<p>Though, developments in overland oil transportation threaten Iran&#8217;s leverage. The Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have built or expanded pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, reducing reliance on maritime routes. Saudi Arabia had already increased its overland capacity during previous conflicts, and the UAE is constructing additional pipelines, including a second pipeline expected to finish soon and plans for a third within a year, potentially allowing Gulf states to export around 13.4 million barrels per day by mid-2027. <\/p>\n<p>Reinforced overland infrastructure could diminish Iran&#8217;s power to manipulate global oil markets by blocking the strait, likely reducing global oil prices and limiting Iran\u2019s strategic options against the U.S. within a year. This shift in pipeline capacity weakens Iran\u2019s energy card, allowing the Gulf states to better withstand future disruptions and easing market shocks.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4617280\/iran-leadership-war-battered-transformed\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4617280\">lopsided losses<\/a> suffered by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a> in its war with the United States and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"219\">Israel<\/a>, Iran was able to hold its own through economic damage inflicted through its blockade of the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21488\"> Strait of Hormuz<\/a>. But this strategy has a short shelf life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Iran implemented its blockade of the strait in March, the seaborne trade of one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil ground to a halt, triggering economic chaos around the world. This \u201cenergy card\u201d proved to be Iran\u2019s ace in the hole and forced Washington to switch its war aims from the maximalist demands of regime change in the opening days of the conflict to the more reserved nuclear negotiations and desperate attempts to restore the status quo of the strait.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4647238\/oil-prices-jump-latest-us-strikes-iran-attacks-gulf-neighbors\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Oil prices jump after latest US strikes and Iran\u2019s attacks on Gulf neighbors<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4647107\/iran-attacks-two-tankers-hormuz-uae\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>One dead after Iran attacks two tankers in Strait of Hormuz, UAE says<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4645643\/uk-designates-iran-revolutionary-guard-terrorist-group-attacks-jewish-centers\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>UK designates IRGC terrorist group after accusing Iran proxy group of attacks on Jewish centers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">A woman walks past a billboard that shows a graphic depicting a military personnel\u2019s hand holding the Strait of Hormuz in his fist with signs which read in Farsi: \u201cIn Iran\u2019s hands forever,\u201d \u201cTrump couldn\u2019t do a damn thing,\u201d \u201d The control of Strait of Hormuz will be Iran\u2019s forever,\u201d in Vanak Square, in northern Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26106526540059.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A woman walks past a billboard that shows a graphic depicting a military personnel\u2019s hand holding the Strait of Hormuz in his fist with signs which read in Farsi: \u201cIn Iran\u2019s hands forever,\u201d \u201cTrump couldn\u2019t do a damn thing,\u201d \u201cThe control of Strait of Hormuz will be Iran\u2019s forever,\u201d in Vanak Square, in northern Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, subsequent developments have begun to counteract this strategy and could render it almost useless within a year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<h2 id=\"h-the-gulf-s-current-overland-capacity\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Gulf\u2019s current overland capacity<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the start of the war, only two overland pipelines allowed the Gulf countries to transport oil and gas overland, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, one in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/saudi-arabia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"590\">Saudi Arabia<\/a> and the other in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-arab-emirates\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"215\">United Arab Emirates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The longest and largest, Saudi Arabia\u2019s Petroline, was built during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s to avoid the scenario playing out in the current war. The pipeline crosses 750 miles across the country east to west, and before the war, could transport 5 million barrels per day. After the strait was closed, the country converted a gas pipeline to transport crude oil, boosting Saudi Arabia\u2019s overland oil transport to 7 million bpd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UAE relies on a single pipeline to bypass the strait \u2014 the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline \u2014 completed in 2012, and which can transport up to 1.8 million barrels per day. The UAE\u2019s gas and oil-rich regions are located on the western side of the country, so most of its shipping naturally occurs in western ports such as Dubai. The 235-mile-long pipeline transports oil and gas through the desert to the Port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UAE began construction on a second pipeline before the war, but the closure of the strait added new urgency at a May board meeting, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin \u2060Zayed instructed the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to fast-track the construction of a second pipeline to transport oil and liquified natural gas overland to ports in the east of the country, located beyond the strait. The West-East pipeline is now expected to be completed sometime next year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the OPEC quota, the UAE produced 3.2 million to 3.6 million barrels per day \u2014 nearly all of which can be transported through the two oil pipelines once the second is complete. However, the country left the organization in May, and its new target for 2027 is around 5.2 million bpd. The increased production means the country will need to build a third pipeline to ship its full capacity overland, something UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/tAOSq#selection-1579.0-1579.271\">told<\/a> <em>Bloomberg<\/em> will soon be underway. He also said in the May interview that the UAE was moving to cut its reliance on the strait to \u201czero.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, the <em>Financial Times<\/em> reported that DP World, the UAE\u2019s flagship port operator, was constructing a port and a container terminal in Fujairah on its eastern coast, the receiving end of its pipelines, shifting much of its port capacity beyond the strait. The country\u2019s primary container port, Jebel Ali on the western coast, dropped to 5%-10% of its prewar activity after the war started.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-iran-s-energy-card-timeline\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Iran\u2019s energy card timeline<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies with a focus on the Gulf, put the completion of this UAE pipeline \u2014 sometime in 2027 \u2014 as the timeline for when Iran\u2019s energy card will begin to run out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the war, 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait per day. Seven million bpd already flows through Saudi Arabia\u2019s Petroline. Another 1.8 million bpd flows through the UAE\u2019s Habshan-Fujairah pipeline. Iraq currently sends 250,000 bpd through its Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, which goes through Turkey to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iraq is currently looking at reviving its Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, which was constructed in 1952 and passes through Syria but has long since fallen into disuse.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Iraqi Prime Minister Zaidi is about to sign on the repair and revival of this pipeline. If this happens, and which can be fairly soon, because this only needs repair \u2014 it\u2019s not like you\u2019re building anything. This will allow Iraq to send 1 million barrels, circumventing Hormuz,\u201d Hussain told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While much better than before, this is still a fraction of Iraq\u2019s 4.2 million-4.3 million bpd output. Hussain suggested Baghdad will probably seek to build more pipelines to the Mediterranean to further reduce its reliance on the strait.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second UAE pipeline will add another 1.8 million bpd overland throughput. Hussain speculated that a third pipeline will be coming soon and expedited with Kuwait\u2019s help.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think the Emiratis will do their best to help out the Kuwaitis. The two governments have become really close over the past year, and especially in the four and a half months since the start of the war with Iran,\u201d he said. Hussain reasoned that the UAE is likely to help the Kuwaitis send some of their oil through the extended pipeline, sparing some capacity for Kuwaiti use in exchange for royalties, then push through the third pipeline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf Hormuz continues being like this \u2026 I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if \u2026 the Kuwaitis are now in talks with the Emiratis to build this pipeline,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">The Strait of Hormuz is the only waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the wider ocean, and has become a critical chokepoint in the war with Iran. (Grace Hagerman\/Washington Examiner)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/danger-for-shipping-through-strait-or-hormuz-declared-severe\/\" title=\"Danger for shipping through ... or ... declared &#039;Severe&#039;\">net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/image_197f84-e1776803459246<\/a>.png6a56b25826f33.png?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Strait of Hormuz is the only waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the wider ocean, and has become a critical choke point in the war with Iran. (Grace Hagerman\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zeyoudi has already said a third pipeline is in the works, and with Kuwait\u2019s backing, the construction process could be expedited. The second pipeline, due to be completed next year, goes from Abu Dhabi in the northwest to Fujairah in the east, but Hussain speculated the new pipeline is likely to begin in Dubai, where the UAE\u2019s main port can take oil traffic in, and travel east across a much shorter route. Taking the time spent constructing the second pipeline and subtracting some distance, Hussain clocked the most likely timeline to construct the third pipeline as one year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Assuming the third pipeline will have the same capacity as the other two, the UAE could begin exporting 5.4 million bpd overland around the strait next year if construction begins soon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By mid-2027, the Gulf states could collectively be sending 13.4 million bpd overland around the strait, a substantial enough amount to relieve the crippling pressure on energy markets. In the worst-case scenario where the Iraqi and third UAE pipelines aren\u2019t completed in time, the Gulf will still be exporting 11.2 million bpd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While not reaching the prewar totals of 20 million bpd, 13.4 million bpd is \u201cgood enough for the market,\u201d Hussain said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4647717\/trump-backtrack-strait-tax-gulf-pressure\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4647717\">GULF ALLIES\u2019 BACKROOM PRESSURE CAMPAIGN FORCES TRUMP TO REVERSE TAX ON STRAIT OF HORMUZ<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInstead of having the Brent [crude oil] jump to $130 and $140, it\u2019ll probably be around $75 or $80,\u201d he reasoned, compared to the $65 prewar figure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By mid-2027, the Gulf countries will at the very least have enough overland pipelines to lessen the Strait of Hormuz blockade\u2019s impact to the extent that the global economy can weather the shock without major issue. This gives Tehran roughly a year to use its best card against the U.S., after which it won\u2019t be able to exercise any decisive leverage against its adversary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iran&#8217;s Strait blockade strategy faces imminent limits despite initial success<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2629773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26106526540059.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36468,51978,3823],"class_list":["post-2629772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-energy-policy","tag-geopolitical-strategy","tag-iran"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26106526540059.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2629772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2629776,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629772\/revisions\/2629776"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2629772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2629772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2629772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}