{"id":62327,"date":"2026-05-25T08:38:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-iran-peace-deal-nears-as-eni-greenlights-major-african-energy-expansion\/62327\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T08:38:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:38:25","slug":"us-iran-peace-deal-nears-as-eni-greenlights-major-african-energy-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-iran-peace-deal-nears-as-eni-greenlights-major-african-energy-expansion\/62327\/","title":{"rendered":"US-Iran Peace Deal Nears as Eni Greenlights Major African Energy Expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A landmark US-Iran agreement is &quot;largely negotiated,&quot;<\/strong> potentially releasing <strong>$25 billion in frozen assets<\/strong> in exchange for reopening the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> and ending regional hostilities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eni (<a href=\"\/stock\/E\">E<\/a>) has approved the Phase 3 investment<\/strong> for the Baleine field in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, aiming to more than double oil production to <strong>150,000 barrels per day (bpd)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Iran is demanding an immediate $12 billion release<\/strong> from funds held in Qatar as a precondition for advancing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).<\/li>\n<li><strong>The United States insists on a 30-day verification period<\/strong> for the restoration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz before transferring funds in installments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A new US-Saudi defense venture<\/strong> will manufacture &quot;SKYWASP&quot; drones in Riyadh, modeled after Iran\u2019s Shahed systems, to bolster Saudi Arabia&#39;s domestic deterrence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Geopolitical Breakthrough: US and Iran Near &quot;Largely Negotiated&quot; Deal<\/h2>\n<p>High-level diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East have reached a critical juncture. <strong>U.S. President Donald Trump<\/strong> announced that a peace deal with <strong>Iran<\/strong> is &quot;largely negotiated,&quot; following intense mediation by <strong>Pakistan<\/strong> and <strong>Qatar<\/strong>. The proposed framework seeks to end the 12-week war, reopen the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> without tolls, and facilitate a ceasefire between <strong>Israel<\/strong> and <strong>Hezbollah<\/strong> in Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the optimism, significant friction remains regarding the sequence of implementation. <strong>Iran<\/strong> has conditioned the reopening of the strategic waterway on the release of <strong>$25 billion in frozen balances<\/strong>, specifically demanding an initial <strong>$12 billion<\/strong> currently held in <strong>Qatar<\/strong>. In contrast, <strong>U.S. officials<\/strong> told the <em>Washington Post<\/em> that <strong>Iran<\/strong> will not receive a single dollar until it abandons its <strong>nuclear stockpile<\/strong> and ensures the return of free navigation within a <strong>30-day window<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Eni Approves Massive Production Boost in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/h2>\n<p>In the energy sector, <strong>Eni (<a href=\"\/stock\/E\">E<\/a>)<\/strong> and its partners have officially approved the investment for <strong>Baleine Phase 3<\/strong> offshore <strong>C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/strong>. This full-field development is set to transform the regional energy landscape by raising oil production from <strong>60,000 to 150,000 bpd<\/strong>. Additionally, natural gas output is expected to jump from <strong>80 to 200 million cubic feet per day<\/strong>, supporting both domestic power generation and exports.<\/p>\n<p>The Baleine field is a cornerstone of <strong>Eni\u2019s (<a href=\"\/stock\/E\">E<\/a>)<\/strong> &quot;dual exploration model,&quot; which focuses on fast-tracking discoveries to production while maintaining a <strong>net-zero emission<\/strong> profile for Scope 1 and 2. <em>Market analysts suggest that this expansion reinforces C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s status as a burgeoning West African energy hub<\/em>, especially as global supply chains remain sensitive to Middle Eastern volatility.<\/p>\n<h2>Regional Defense and Diplomatic Shifts<\/h2>\n<p>In a significant shift in defense manufacturing, a joint venture between U.S. startup <strong>Vector Defense<\/strong> and Saudi-based <strong>SR2 Defense Systems<\/strong> is building a factory near <strong>Riyadh<\/strong>. The facility will produce <strong>SKYWASP drones<\/strong>, which are modeled after the Iranian <strong>Shahed<\/strong> system. This move is part of <strong>Saudi Arabia\u2019s<\/strong> broader goal to localize <strong>50% of its defense spending by 2030<\/strong> and establish a credible long-range deterrence against future attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> has reportedly told close aides that he has &quot;no say&quot; in <strong>Trump\u2019s<\/strong> current decision-making process regarding the Iran deal. <em>This admission highlights a growing disconnect between Washington and Jerusalem<\/em> as the U.S. prioritizes a regional settlement. <strong>Iran<\/strong> has already begun easing maritime tensions, reportedly allowing <strong>32 ships<\/strong> to cross the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> in the past 24 hours as a gesture of de-escalation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways A landmark US-Iran agreement is &quot;largely negotiated,&quot; potentially releasing $25 billion in frozen assets in exchange for reopening 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