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Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
Implications of the Conflict in the Middle East for China’s Energy Security
The US-Israeli attack on Iran and Iran's retaliatory strikes against energy infrastructure directly impact China.
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
The Widening Middle East Conflict and Its Impact on Energy
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a campaign against Iran targeting military infrastructure and the regime's core leadership. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several...
Columbia Energy Exchange Podcast
with Anne-Sophie Corbeau
, Richard Nephew
, Daniel Sternoff
and Karen E. Young
• March 3, 2026
Events
Find out more about our upcoming and past events.
March 10, 2026
• 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
est
Careers in Transportation: Women Leading the Future of EVs
Join us for an in-person event exploring careers and opportunities in the rapidly evolving electric vehicle and sustainable transportation ecosystem.
Event
• International Affairs Building, 15th Floor
Columbia University
Columbia University
All aspects of the oil business have come under the growing influence of the Guards, from the "shadow fleet" of tankers that secretively ship sanctioned crude, to logistics and the front companies selling the oil, mostly to China.
Related
More News
‘Nightmare scenarios’: Iran hits oil targets, testing Trump’s Teflon
The regime’s attacks on tankers and refineries could reverberate through the U.S. economy ahead of midterms.
Why the Strait of Hormuz Proves Renewables Are Strategic
Why war-driven oil volatility is strengthening the case for renewables and storage A tanker does not need to explode for society to feel the blast. Sometimes the shock arrives more quietly. First as a ...
Oil prices are rising. How high can they go?
Jason Bordoff, the founding director at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, discusses why the war in Iran is driving up oil prices and why they may go even higher.
Relevant
Publications
How the Iran War Could Consolidate China’s Energy Dominance
Amid global oil and gas disruptions, China stands prepared for the electrostate era.
How a Conflict in Iran Could Affect Oil Markets in the Gulf Arab States
Multiple US–Iran conflict scenarios carry materially different risks for global oil infrastructure, transit routes, and prices.
Where China Gets Its Oil: Crude Imports in 2025 Reveal Stockpiling and Changing Fortunes of Certain Suppliers, Including Those Sanctioned
China’s crude oil imports hit a record-high 11.6 million barrels per day in 2025, as geopolitical tensions, low oil prices, and global oversupply spurred China to increase its oil stockpiles, a trend likely to continue in 2026.
