Petroleum Business Review

Abstract The Strait of Hormuz, as one of the world’s most strategic energy chokepoints, plays a vital role in the maritime trade of crude oil and natural gas, and many Asian economies are heavily dependent on it. Following the onset of the 2026 tensions and conflicts, vessel traffic in the strait has sharply declined, with more than 95% of shipping flows disrupted. Daily vessel crossings have dropped from several per day to nearly zero, with only a few limited transits permitted under special authorization. The absence of effective alternative routes—especially for countries reliant on energy exports through this passage—has placed significant pressure on global markets and heightened concerns about the stability of supply. Under such circumstances, Asian markets, the primary destination for oil and gas passing through Hormuz, face the greatest vulnerability. If this situation persists, rising transportation costs and escalating geopolitical risks could seriously challenge the stability of the global energy market. The geopolitical importance of the strait means that any disruption extends far beyond the region, producing immediate consequences for energy and financial markets as well as national economies. For energy exporters, this results in reduced foreign‑exchange revenues, while energy importers face higher costs, inflationary pressures, and slower economic growth. Utilizing an analytical–descriptive approach and a multilayer scenario‑building framework

Abstract In this paper, the competitive market of crude oil exports of Iran and the world is modeled using game theory. In the present research, we have focused on OPEC's internal competition within the game theory framework to analyze the economic conflicts between OPEC members in detail. In the conditions where each of the producers has their own goals and limitations, the amount of access to the desired goals for each producer depends not only on the decisions they make, but also is affected by the prevailing atmosphere in the oil market, including the strategy of other competitors, sanctions, and different situations of economic growth and oil sale price level. In recent years, Western countries, especially the United States, have imposed extensive sanctions against Iran, mainly targeting. In this regard, three players of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America (USA) were defined and a model for the game between them was presented. Then the presented model was solved as a cooperative game and the equilibrium point was obtained for it. The results obtained showed that the three main players have the conditions for cooperation by choosing the options of "reducing pressure and fewer sanctions", "reducing pressure and cooperation", and "cooperation", and Iran can only improve its conditions by competing with Saudi Arabia in OPEC.

Abstract This study examines the effect of Iranian oil sanctions on the International oil market network for the first time with Complex Network Analysis (CAN) with Diebold -Yilmaz and Arch indexes from 1991:01 to 2019:12. The analysis was performed for two periods before and after the sanctions, and the results were compared. Results showed that the Iranian oil market in both networks before and after the sanction is one of the influential nodes in the oil network. The volatility spillover of the Iranian oil market in the oil network market has increased after the sanctions. Also, on Iranian oil, volatility spillover from other oil markets has to Iran increased after the sanction. But overall, the sanction has not had a significant impact on the oil market network. The Iranian oil market volatility was receiver before the sanction in the network, but its role changed after the sanction, and it became a sender node.

Abstract The oil market is affected by the supply of oil by oil-producing countries. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was established in the 1960s to balance oil prices in favor of oil-producing countries. OPEC has gone through a period of convergence and divergence since its inception under political-economic events and crises. In turn, this convergence and divergence have had a significant impact on oil production, supply, and prices in the oil market. OPEC members form a diverse range of population, size, reserves, output, gross domestic product, ideology, and type of relationship with world powers. This diversity, along with internal tensions, leads to different approaches on energy markets and production quotas, which has affected the interests of all producing countries. Thus, this study aims to assess the convergence relationship between OPEC members on the strength of this organization on the market. To reach this aim, we have used a qualitative method of descriptive and analytical type using library resources and documents. Findings show that any lack of convergence and understanding between OPEC members has led to increased supply in the oil market and fluctuating prices. These price fluctuations seriously damage the economies of exporting countries.