Increased tension in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf with the Strait of Hormuz at its center, warns of prolonged instability and global energy risks.
In an international environment characterized by increasing volatility and overlapping crises, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf are once again emerging as a key axis of geopolitical instability, with developments surrounding the Strait of Hormuz intensifying fears of a disruption in the energy balance and a further escalation of tensions in the wider region. The parliamentary spokesperson for New Democracy Dimitris Kairidis points out that the current situation does not lead to stabilization but to a “frozen” form of crisis, where the absence of a comprehensive agreement and the maintenance of fragile balances create conditions of prolonged uncertainty, with direct implications for both the global energy market and international economic stability.
“Mitsotakis is institutional and always tries to serve out his terms. He did so last time as well, when there was the same speculation. Beyond that, I want to be honest. Mitsotakis will go to the Thessaloniki Fair, announce the measures from the budget surplus and the economic program for the next four years, the 2030 Agenda is being developed by Kostis Hatzidakis, and then he will assess it. From there on, in my opinion, whether it’s the end of ’26 or the beginning of ’27, the difference is small, but the goal is certainly to serve out the full four-year term,” noted the parliamentary spokesperson for New Democracy, Professor of International Relations at Panteion University Dimitris Kairidis, in an interview with ERTnews Radio 105.8 and on the program “Yes, But” with Dimitris Takis.
Significant risk of disarray
“From there on, it is indeed crucial to say that there will be no second Sunday, that there should be no casual voting, no complacency, that there be no ‘European election’ mentality, that we are here and there is a very, very high risk of disengagement,” he added. “I firmly believe that the risk is very great if people do not realize how critical this first and only Sunday is,” he said emphatically.
Regarding the international political scene, the G7 Summit set to begin on June 15, when asked what is expected and how likely another clash between Trump and the Europeans is, he said “I hope we can avoid that because the atmosphere is already tense. There is a great danger here that this entire abnormal situation in the Persian Gulf will become permanent—with a ceasefire, so that we do not have the conflict we had previously, but without the situation normalizing, so that oil can start flowing again. Strategic reserves are beginning to run out, and from the fall onward, if no real solution is found to the Hormuz issue, there are very serious risks for the economy.
I think this will be the main topic at the Summit, which is also Macron’s last Summit. A Europe that faces so many challenges and so many problems. It is by no means the Europe we knew years ago. It is a Europe in crisis today, with weak leadership. There is no doubt about it.”
On the Middle East
“There is no agreement, and there cannot be one. The gap is enormous, and it is very difficult for Trump to admit that the best he can achieve, given how things have turned out, is something worse than what Obama achieved without military operations. A ceasefire is another matter. And obviously Trump doesn’t want to escalate, he doesn’t want to get further entangled, even though some hawks around him, especially on the fringes of the Republican Party, are demanding it. He wants to extricate himself as quickly as possible. But the upper hand now belongs to the Iranian regime, which is emerging stronger from all this, despite the blows Iran has suffered and the problems it faces in the economy. So here we are. It is extremely difficult for Trump to accept this humiliation, and he is trying to buy time. And that is where the danger lies. That this situation becomes permanent—this irregularity, where we wake up to one thing and go to sleep to another—that it takes on permanent characteristics,” continued Mr. Kairidis.
Precisely in relation to the time pressure facing both national economies and the U.S. itself, as President Trump faces the November midterm elections, Mr. Kairidis noted that the U.S. president is already plummeting in the polls.
“He has also displeased quite a few Republicans whom he did not support for re-election, and now they are speaking out because they remain senators and representatives until January. The balance of power in Congress is already shifting. And of course he will suffer a crushing defeat in the House of Representatives; there is no doubt in my mind, according to all the forecasts now. Beyond that, just look at the outlines of the agreements that are being leaked—they show that Iran has the upper hand.
When Iran manages to link any ceasefire with a ceasefire in Lebanon as well, that is, to force Israel to stop whatever it is doing and protect Iran’s client, Hezbollah, when we talk about lifting sanctions, that is, sanctions we’ve had for years now, that in order to open the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. must allow Iran a series of concessions, so it can trade oil on the global market, that some of the frozen assets held by the U.S. be returned, and so on, shows just how strengthened the Iranian regime is, something that frightens us all and should frighten us all, especially the Arabs in the region, because they will have a bogeyman next to them, a bigger bogeyman than before,” added Mr. Kairidis.
