The Shipbrokers Podcast
The Shipbrokers Podcast, brought to you by Gibson Shipbrokers, brings you broker driven analysis and expert-led conversations from the ever-changing world of shipping and trade. Produced in-house at our headquarters in London, this podcast delivers timely analysis of the events shaping freight markets.
From shifting geopolitics to market swings, if it’s moving the market, we’re talking about it.
The Shipbrokers Podcast
Regional Rivalries: Navigating the Modern Middle East with Sean Mathews
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Host Richard Matthews speaks with journalist Sean Matthews on the risk of a “no war, no peace” standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, as US and Iranian tensions simmer below open conflict. They unpack how Gulf states are navigating the pressure, from Qatar’s cautious diplomacy to the UAE’s exposed trade position and Saudi Arabia’s strategic balancing act, alongside rising regional rivalries, proxy conflicts, and a shifting post-American order.
About Sean Matthews
Covering a wide swath of the Middle East and southeastern Europe, Sean is a journalist and a correspondent with Middle East Eye covering regional politics and security. He has previously written for The Economist, Al Monitor and Al Jazeera English, reporting across Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece.
He is also the author of The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East, a bold reappraisal of Greece's place in the wider Middle East, available now from all major retailers: https://amzn.eu/d/0i2n6nMr
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:55 Iran War Stalemate in Hormuz
05:21 Gulf States Winners and Losers
12:18 Pipelines and Bypassing Hormuz
14:42 Saudi-UAE Rift and Yemen Houthis
23:35 Sudan Power Struggle
24:41 Gulf Rivalry in Sudan
27:15 Why Saudis and UAE Clash
29:03 Turkey Fills the Vacuum
34:04 Greece and the New Byzantines