Vladimir Putin could turn out to be the big winner economically and diplomatically if the United States sticks to its pledge of no more sanction waivers for countries buying Iranian oil, a leading expert on the Middle East said on Monday. With reduced choices of where to buy oil, China, Turkey, South Korea, Japan and others who had been granted waivers that end this week may soon be buying from Putin’s Russia, Michael Pregent, speaking at the Hudson Institute, said. Moscow has been playing a steadily increasing role in Middle Eastern affairs as self-proclaimed “honest broker” since Putin came to … Continue reading Panel: Russia Will Reap Benefits from Iranian Oil Crackdown