Editorial Note
Power exercised through permission must reconcile dominance with consent. If it cannot, the quiet energy war will end not in defeat, but in a slow and silent exit of the system itself.
In May 2018, Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal. His decision to pull back was framed as a repudiation of a flawed nuclear agreement. The true impact of this move was not merely diplomatic, but structural. Within weeks, oil contracts collapsed, insurers withdrew coverage, banks froze transactions, and European energy firms suspended investments in Iran. Without the need for physical intervention, Iran’s oil exports sharply declined.Â