Click Here to Watch LIVE on YouTube
Wednesday March 25, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. / Eastern Time
Registration is NOT REQUIRED to view the program.
Submit questions to the specialists: questions@ncusar.org
Background and Context
The fourth expert panel in our series on the Iran war and the Middle East Crisis will cover geopolitical shifts, military strategies, energy security, and economic impacts on the GCC and global markets. Speakers will examine the impact of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and energy infrastructure disruptions, and evolving regional security risks. As the war intensifies, while backchannel negotiations resume, the panel will first look at how the conflict is reshaping alliances, with a focus on the vulnerability and resilience of Gulf states and the potential for further escalation and targeting of civilian infrastructure. The military discussion will delve into the effectiveness of strikes and the “resistance” response, and the energy discussion will evaluate the disruptions to oil, gas, agriculture, and petrochemical supplies and the various workarounds. Our experts will weave together their comprehensive understanding of the crisis, addressing diplomatic, security, and economic dimensions of this new era and style of conflict.
Moderator:
- Dr. Abderrahim Foukara, Former Washington D.C. Bureau Chief and Host of Min Washington, Al Jazeera | Bio
Featured Speakers:
- Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Co-Director, Middle East Energy Roundtable | Bio
- Dr John Sfakianakis, Chief Economist and Head of Economic Research, Gulf Research Center Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House | Bio
- Dr. Sara Vakshouri, Center for Energy Security and Diplomacy Chair Institute of World Politics; Founder and President, SVB Energy International | Bio
- Dr. Amir Azar, Founder & CEO, AgentixEdge | Bio
- Col. David Des Roches, U.S. Army Retired; Principal, Thayer Marshall Institute | Bio