The Iran War Cease-Fire and the Return of the Energy Weapon

Foreign Policy Live

Foreign Policy

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.1 • 622 Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After news of a 14-day cease-fire in the middle east conflict, Ravi shares his initial thoughts and analysis. Plus, the rationale for attacking Iran revolved around security. How did the global narrative become about energy? Iran’s strongest weapon has turned out to be its ability to strangle the Strait of Hormuz, an important trade choke point. What does the return of energy as a weapon mean for the global economy? Meghan O’Sullivan, author of Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America’s Power, explains how countries need to think about their energy security. She is a professor at Harvard University and has previously served as deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan in the George W. Bush administration. Ravi Agrawal: Why Trump Mishandled Iran New York Times: How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran Amir Handjani: The War Will End With a Hormuz Toll Booth Nils Gilman: Electrostates vs. Petrostates Jason Bordoff and Spencer Dale: Making the U.S. More Resilient to Oil Price Shocks Foreign Affairs: Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’Sullivan: The Return of the Energy Weapon Foreign Affairs: Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’Sullivan: The Iran Shock And the Dangerous Allure of Energy Autarky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Every year, the Lionel Gelber Prize honors the world's best book on international affairs published in English.
0:08.3	The prize is presented by the Monk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.
0:14.7	The 2026 winner is Francis J. Gavin for his examination of how history can help us understand and navigate
0:22.9	the complex and confusing world around us. It's called Thinking Historically, a guide to
0:28.7	statecraft and strategy published by Yale University Press. Gavin will deliver the 2026 Lionel
0:35.4	Gelberg Prize lecture on April 15, 26, and you can register to attend online.
0:42.3	Visit gelber.munkschool.u, turonto.ca, for more details on the 26 Lionel Gelber Prize.
1:05.8	Hi, I'm Ravi Agrawal, Foreign Policy's editor-in-chief.
1:07.7	This is FP Live.
1:16.0	So I'm recording this episode on the morning of Wednesday, the 8th of April.
1:22.1	On Tuesday evening, Iran and the United States announced a two-week ceasefire that was brokered by Pakistan.
1:24.0	Already this morning, the ceasefire feels tenuous.
1:27.4	But it's better than the alternative, which was a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump
1:31.9	to wipe out Iran's civilization.
1:35.4	We'll see where the coming days take us.
1:38.4	My featured interview this week is about how Iran has used energy as a weapon over these past five weeks.
1:46.2	Initially, an attack on Iran was framed as being about security, Israel's security, the region's
1:52.4	security, even the world's security, especially if Iran got a nuclear bomb.
1:57.4	But Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and now its de facto control of it, made the
2:03.5	narrative about energy. Why is energy being used as a weapon of war? I have a terrific guest
2:11.2	who has long been making the case that none of this should be a surprise. That's coming up. But first, I thought I'd share my read on things the morning after we learned
2:22.2	about a ceasefire. As I said, it's shaky, it's tenuous, I'm hopeful, but I'm not bullish.
	...

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