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Global Affairs Session 83 24 August 2026 IRAN'S LONG GAME What the future holds for the global economy now Iran’s long game in August 2026 is not simply to survive US-Israeli pressure. It is to convert survival into bargaining power by using military endurance, the Strait of Hormuz, Eurasian connectivity and strategic relationships to shape the terms of an eventual settlement.

Global Affairs Session 74 7 August 2026 IRAN WAR REACHES JAPAN US spooked with Yen collapse Japan is caught in an unusual geopolitical-financial trap: the yen has fallen to four-decade lows, the Iran war has disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, and Japan’s dependence on Middle Eastern crude magnifies the cost of a weak currency. The United States has joined Japan in buying yen because a disorderly Japanese crisis could spill into Asian currencies and the U.S. Treasury market.

Global Affairs Session 68 28 July 2026 WAR ZONE EXPANDS Six fronts, one fragile pause As of 28 July 2026, the Middle East sits in a fragile pause rather than a genuine peace. A temporary halt in US–Iran strikes and an Omani plan for the Strait of Hormuz coexist with a widening map of flashpoints — a new Ukraine–Iran clash in the Caspian Sea, a reopened Houthi front against Saudi Arabia, and mounting strain on Qatar and Kuwait.

Global Affairs Session 53 15 June 2026 IRAN WINS THE WAR America proposes a peace deal — Israel is unhappy After months of war that began with a joint U.S.–Israeli strike campaign on 28 February 2026, the United States and Iran have announced a preliminary framework to end the fighting, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Markets reacted instantly — oil fell, the dollar weakened, and Gulf and Indian assets rallied — even as Iran's nuclear programme remains unresolved. The war leaves behind a case study in asymmetric warfare, a reshaped Gulf, and early signs that Iran may emerge as a stronger regional power.

Global Affairs Session 50 08 June 2026 IRAN WAR REIGNITED? 100 days of the Iran war One hundred days after Iran's war with Israel reignited on 28 February 2026, three waves of Iranian strikes, an Israeli response inside Tehran, and a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire have left the region no closer to a settlement. This session traces how the war escalated, what it has proved about Iran's staying power as a regional actor, why Tehran will not tolerate an Israeli move against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and what a prolonged war would mean for oil, inflation and India.

Global Affairs Session 44 28 May 2026 IRAN WAR ENDGAME Why threat to Oman? America's Iran war shows the limits of raw military power: Operation Epic Fury delivered tactical destruction but no political victory, Tehran's regime survived the war and tightened its grip, and the Strait of Hormuz remains Iran's trump card. Trump's threat to "blow up" Oman reveals how far the endgame has now spread across the wider Gulf.

Global Affairs Session 33 11 May 2026 THREE FIRES RAGING Iran, Ukraine and US–China tensions burning together The world is facing three simultaneous geopolitical crises: the Iran war threatening energy security and the Strait of Hormuz, the Ukraine war keeping Europe militarised and unstable, and U.S.–China tensions reshaping trade, technology and security. These fires are separate, but they are connected by oil, weapons, alliances, AI and global power — reshaping the world in real time, before our eyes.

Global Affairs Session 30 6 May 2026 AMERICA IS STUCK IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ How military escalation turned a regional waterway into America’s strategic trap The United States entered the Iran conflict with overwhelming military power, but the Strait of Hormuz gave Tehran asymmetric leverage over shipping, energy prices and regional stability. The resulting confrontation shows why military superiority does not automatically produce political control.

Global Affairs Session 27 1 May 2026 HORMUZ VS. NICOBAR: CHOKE POINT ANALYSIS Global energy vulnerability and India’s strategic position near the Strait of Malacca Maritime chokepoints concentrate global trade, energy flows and naval movement into narrow passages. This session compares the Strait of Hormuz with the Strait of Malacca, explains the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and assesses whether India can influence or block traffic through Malacca.

Global Affairs Session 22 24 April 2026 THE GULF STATES: BETWEEN DEVIL AND THE DEEP SEA How prosperity, geography and security dependence expose the Gulf during a regional crisis The Gulf states convert energy wealth into high living standards, modern infrastructure and global influence. Yet the same geography that makes the region strategically valuable also exposes it to disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, military escalation, supply-chain shocks and dependence on external security guarantees.