Esfandyar Batmanghelidj
@yarbatman
I invest in developing economies in West Asia and study how sanctions are reshaping Iran and the world. CEO of @boursebazaar. Adjunct Prof @SAISHopkins.
Exciting personal news: I've just signed a book contract with Princeton University Press. My book will be about China's industrial policy, from EVs and batteries to AI and robotics. It's aimed at both general readers and researchers, in the style of my High Capacity newsletter.
Sign of things to come…
Indeed, the #E3 has no legal or moral right to launch the so-called #SnapBack mechanism to reimpose previous anti-Iranian sanctions.
Russian TV aired a new report on Shahed/Geran production in Alabuga. The footage shows local engine manufacturing suggesting Russia may no longer depend on either Iranian or Chinese engines.
Going to Dubai one time and declaring it “an infernal creation born of the worst of human tendencies” is kind of racist? The people of the Global South have agency! They made Dubai to provide prosperity, mobility, cultural exchange. It does those things well, if imperfectly.
I wrote about Dubai, for @NewLeftReview Sidecar newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/…
Basit Eiraj interviews a young Afghan girl deported from Iran. Born and raised there, she breaks down over leaving her friends and fears losing access to education in Afghanistan. Heartbreaking. Must-watch with English subtitles via @TOLO_TV
Average young English lord writing home while on the Grand Tour:
Life has improved immensely since I started adding more Italians to it
In a call last night with @araghchi, E3 foreign ministers and @kajakallas put on the table the possibility of extending the deadline for snapback under the nuclear deal, according to sources. The asks of Iran were a resumption of nuclear talks with the US and E3 and...-1-
When you think about the long history of frontier companies and labs there — Menlo Park, Bell Labs, RCA, Sarnoff, and now Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Merck — and the fact it’s located next to *the* global hub of finance — then it becomes obvious that America’s Shenzhen is New Jersey.
When you think about the long history of frontier companies and labs there — Menlo Park, Bell Labs, RCA, Sarnoff, and now Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Merck — and the fact it’s located next to *the* global hub of finance — then it becomes obvious that America’s Shenzhen is New Jersey.
"Testimony, satellite imagery and verified video compiled by the Financial Times show how for .. much of Gaza, the [GHF] scheme has only deepened their desperation, forcing hungry Palestinians into a dangerous journey from which many never return" ft.com/content/6c74d8…
Someone is selling a Chinese Domestic Market VW Santana on @Bringatrailer with no reserve. This is one of the most important cars in history! The SAIC joint venture with VW set the foundation for China’s automotive industry and the Santana got China’s middle class on the road.
برای گشودن افق‌های جدید، باید به گذشته با نگاهی منتقدانه بنگریم. آنچه ما را به‌سوی آینده‌ای بهتر می‌برد، بازسازی امید، آمادگی برای یادگیری، تغییر و ساختن مسیری نو با وفاق، همدلی و عقلانیت است. ما همچنان معتقدیم که پنجره دیپلماسی باز است و این مسیر صلح‌آمیز را جدی دنبال می‌کنیم.
"Although historical analogies are risky and can be accidental, they are valuable intellectual devices... Unlike other analytical tools, analogies help us understand how policymakers feel about a concrete crisis." By Ivan Krastev and @leonardbenardo1 foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/30/his…
There's a lot of focus on Chinese industrial innovation, but competition among Chinese consumer brands is *insane*. Companies need superb products/services to survive. China isn't just going to reshape Western coffee culture, it's going to reshape consumer culture altogether!
And we think Chinese EVs and manufacturing are the problem. The China shock is coming for Western coffee culture. Bubble tea was the thin edge of the wedge!
How to deal with oil dependence? Two options: (1) Reduce reliance; or (2) Build up savings to weather downturns Oman did the first — and earned a credit-rating upgrade from Moody’s, lifting it from ‘junk’ to ‘investment grade’ bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
با این دستفرمان قطعا "مکانیزم ماشه" فعال خواهد شد و جنگ در حوزه اقتصادی وارد فاز تازه‌ای می‌گردد. در مدتِ باقی‌مانده، باید "حداکثر ظرفیت دیپلماسی _ نظامیِ کشور" بکارگیری شود تا "مکانیزم ماشه" فعال نگردد؛ خصوصا با "اهرم جنگِ اوکراین"! می‌شود، اگر حاکمیت "تصمیمِ یکپارچه" بگیرد!
Russia may be positioning itself to exert greater influence over the future of Iran’s nuclear program. Recent reports suggesting Putin’s openness to a zero enrichment align with long-standing Russian efforts to maintain leverage over Iran’s civilian nuclear energy sector. 🧵
Thread: In my latest article for @amwajmedia, I explore the rise of 'neo-nationalism' in #Iran through the lens of a new wave of Muharram lamentations, which are an amalgamation of supposed secular patriotic symbols and religious notions. amwaj.media/en/article/dee… 1/4
Two years since reestablishing diplomatic ties, Iran-Saudi relations continue to improve, even as the region lurches from one crisis to another. @NaderHabibi2 examines the surprising durability of the Iran-Saudi rapprochement in this new piece. bourseandbazaar.org/integrated-fut…
