Energy is not just a commodity. In wartime, it is a military capability.

In this episode of the Energy Vista podcast, Leslie Palti-Guzman speaks with military expert Michael Benhamou about a dimension of energy security that receives far too little attention: how armed forces think about energy.

Their conversation starts in the Strait of Hormuz, where the confrontation between the US and Iran is reshaping the security architecture of the Middle East. They exchange on why has Europe remained largely on the sidelines? Can the US sustain its military presence in the region? 

The discussion then turns to the military itself and how the military can secure its energy supply. Modern armed forces require enormous amounts of energy to move troops, operate aircraft and ships, maintain bases, transport supplies and sustain operations. Leslie and Michael discuss why defense may prove to be one of the hardest sectors of the economy to decarbonize.

#supplychains #maritimedisruptions #shippingroutes #EnergyVistaPodcast #EnergySecurity #Military #Defense #Hormuz #Geopolitics #Supplysecurity #Oil #Gas #Energy 

The introduction is in English, while the conversation is conducted primarily in French.

Recorded: October 2, 2026

🎧 Watch & Listen to Energy Vista

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@lesliepalti/podcasts

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-vista/id1441858833

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/31WEeRKpb9IQDSDdqYOcd6

📩 Follow Leslie Palti-Guzman on Substack

Analysis on energy, geopolitics, LNG, trade and maritime security:

https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/

📄 Recent Writing

The Battle for Hormuz Will Reshape the Global LNG Market — CSIS

https://www.csis.org/analysis/battle-hormuz-will-reshape-global-lng-market

Guide pratique de diplomatie armée au XXIe siècle by Monsieur Michael Benhamou [https://www.amazon.fr/-/en/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Monsieur+Michael+Benhamou&text=Monsieur+Michael+Benhamou&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books-fr]
https://www.amazon.fr/Guide-pratique-diplomatie-arm%C3%A9e-si%C3%A8cle/dp/B0H3N7SSB6

Leslie Chats with Michael Benhamou on Europe Missing in Action in Hormuz and Energy as a Military Capability

Has the Iran war validated China’s decades-long approach to energy security?

In this episode of Energy Vista, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with Erica Downs, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, following her recent trip to China.

Together, they explore how Beijing weathered the Iran war, why China proved more resilient than many expected, and what this means for global energy markets and the intensifying competition between Chinese and American energy models.

The conversation examines:

• Whether China’s reduced LNG and crude purchases helped stabilize global energy markets

• China’s balancing act between Iran and the United States

• Whether de-dollarization remains more narrative than reality

• Whether the Iran war could revive Russia’s Power of Siberia 2 pipeline

• The growing competition between the United States and China to power the AI economy

A wide-ranging discussion about energy security, geopolitics, maritime trade, and two competing narratives of energy power

🎧 Listen to the episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

📰 Subscribe to Leslie Palti-Guzman’s analysis on energy geopolitics and global gas markets:
Leslie Palti-Guzman on Substack [https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/]

🌐 Learn more about Energy Vista’s strategic intelligence and advisory services:
EnergyVista.org [https://energyvista.org/]

#EnergyVista #China #Iran #EnergySecurity #Geopolitics #LNG #StraitOfHormuz #USChina #ArtificialIntelligence #DataCenters #EnergyTransition #EnergyMarkets #NaturalGas #Oil #USA #MaritimeSecurity #Energy #commodities

Leslie Chats with Erica Downs on China's Energy Strategy, Iran, and Competing Energy Narratives

🎙️ New Energy Vista Episode (recorded on June 11, 2026)

As the Iran war enters a fragile diplomatic phase, are Gulf states converging on a common strategy or pursuing increasingly divergent paths toward Iran and the United States?

In this episode of Energy Vista, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with Daniel Benaim, Distinguished Fellow at the Middle East Institute and Founder of Benaim Advisory.

The conversation comes at a pivotal moment. While attention remains focused on the future of the Strait of Hormuz and global energy flows, Gulf countries are reassessing their relationships with Iran, the United States, and one another following one of the most significant regional conflicts in decades.

Leslie and Daniel discuss:

🔹 Whether the Iran war strengthened or weakened Gulf unity

🔹 Why some Gulf states were more heavily targeted than others

🔹 The differing approaches of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Oman toward Iran

🔹 Whether Gulf states can accommodate Iran while protecting their economic and security interests

🔹 The future of the Strait of Hormuz and the implications for regional energy security

🔹 The future of U.S.-Gulf relations and whether a new regional order is emerging or whether the United States remains the indispensable external power

This is a timely conversation on diplomacy, deterrence, energy security, trade flows, investments and the future of the Gulf region.

🎧 Listen here:  YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lesliepalti/podcasts  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-vista/id1441858833  

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/31WEeRKpb9IQDSDdqYOcd6

*** Correction: In this latest #EnergyVista podcast with Daniel Benaim,  Leslie mistakenly referred to the 2017–2021 blockade of Qatar as "U.S.-led." Maybe a Freudian slip. She meant the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar.

📩 Leslie shares her insights on energy, geopolitics, trade, and maritime security with a wider audience on Substack:

https://substack.com/@lesliepaltiguzman

#EnergyVista #EnergySecurity #Iran #Gulf #Hormuz #MiddleEast #Geopolitics #USA #LNG #EnergyGeopolitics #LNG #OilMarkets #USForeignPolicy #SaudiArabia #UAE #Qatar #MaritimeSecurity

Leslie Chats With Daniel Benaim on the Future of the Gulf Order, Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz

In this episode of the Energy Vista Podcast, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with energy scholar and foreign policy expert Brenda Shaffer to discuss the energy policy implications of the Iran crisis and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Brenda argues that policymakers continue to draw the wrong lessons from energy crises. The conversation explores whether some climate policies have weakened energy security. Leslie and Brenda exchange on the role of natural gas in modern economies, Europe's energy challenges, Africa's missed energy investment opportunities, China's growing influence over clean-energy supply chains, and the future of electrification.

Listen & Subscribe

🎙 Energy Vista Podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lesliepalti/podcasts
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/31WEeRKpb9IQDSDdqYOcd6
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-vista/id1441858833

Leslie shares her insights on energy, geopolitics, trade, maritime security, and global markets with a wider audience on: Leslie Palti-Guzman on Substack
https://substack.com/@lesliepaltiguzman?utm_source=chatgpt.com

📩 Contact: admin@energyvista.org

#EnergyVista #Podcast #EnergySecurity #BrendaShaffer #Iran #Hormuz #NaturalGas #LNG #Geopolitics #EnergyTransition #ClimatePolicy #China #Europe #Electrification #NuclearEnergy #EnergyMarkets #GlobalGas #EnergyGeopolitics #TradeFlows #Commodities

Leslie Chats With Brenda Shaffer on Whether Some Climate Policies Made the World More Vulnerable to Energy Crises

The United States is celebrating roughly a decade of transforming the shale revolution into a global LNG export powerhouse. But as geopolitical tensions rise and electricity demand surges from AI and data centers, new questions are emerging about America’s long-term energy strategy.

In this new Energy Vista episode, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with former Congressman Charles Boustany to discuss the extraordinary transformation of Louisiana and the United States into a dominant force in global energy markets.

The conversation explores how the US became a net exporter of oil and gas, whether America’s energy abundance strengthens its geopolitical leverage, and how policymakers should think about energy planning in an era of growing power demand, industrial competition, and global instability.

The conversation also explores the importance of historical perspective in energy and geopolitics. Charles reflects on his long-standing passion for history and his decision to pursue a PhD in the field.

This is an insightful exchange at the intersection of energy, industrial policy, geopolitics, and American competitiveness.

🎧 Listen here:
YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAcGga04HWhqbpE1AWgua0Na8AVKqm-wy&utm_source=chatgpt.com] | Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-vista/id1441858833?utm_source=chatgpt.com] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/31WEeRKpb9IQDSDdqYOcd6?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

📩 Subscribe to Leslie Palti-Guzman’s Substack for analysis on energy geopolitics and LNG markets:
Substack [https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

#EnergyVista #LNG #EnergySecurity #EnergyGeopolitics #Louisiana #NatGas #USLNG #EnergyMarkets #DataCenters #AI #Geopolitics #TradeFlows #Shipping #USChina #IndustrialPolicy

Leslie Chats with Charles Boustany on the US Energy Boom and the Need for a Long-Term Energy Policy

🎙️ New Energy Vista Episode

Sanctions have become one of the most powerful tools of modern foreign policy. But how effective are they really, and for how long?

In this new Energy Vista episode, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with Matt McManus, former US State Department official with more than three decades of experience working on international energy and economic diplomacy.

The conversation comes at a pivotal moment. After nearly 40 days of war with Iran, the conflict has entered a fragile ceasefire and negotiation phase. Sanctions relief is emerging as one of the key diplomatic levers on the table.

Leslie and Matt explore whether energy sanctions truly change behavior, how markets adapt to restrictions, and what role the United States’ energy abundance now plays in shaping foreign policy.

The discussion also examines Venezuela’s sanctions roadmap, Russia’s LNG challenges, the rise of the shadow fleet, and whether the US energy boom has fundamentally changed Washington’s geopolitical leverage.

🎧 Listen here:
YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAcGga04HWhqbpE1AWgua0Na8AVKqm-wy] | Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-vista/id1441858833] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/31WEeRKpb9IQDSDdqYOcd6]

📩 Subscribe to my Substack for analysis on energy geopolitics and global gas markets:
https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/

#EnergyVista #EnergySecurity #EnergyGeopolitics #Sanctions #Iran #Russia #Venezuela #LNG #OilMarkets #NatGas #Geopolitics #EnergyMarkets

Go deeper

📄 Matt McManus – Energy Sanctions as a Foreign Policy Tool: How Successful and for How Long?
https://energyanalytics.org/energy-sanctions/

📺 Bloomberg TV interview Leslie Palti-Guzman – Qatar LNG Disruption Could Last “Months”
https://finance.yahoo.com/video/qatar-lng-disruption-could-last-032952910.html

📺 Bloomberg TV interview Leslie Palti-Guzman – Markets Expect Hormuz Reopening Despite Ongoing Uncertainty
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-04-08/energy-analyst-markets-expect-hormuz-reopening-video

Leslie Chats with Matt McManus on Sanctions, Iran Negotiations, and US Energy Power

What happens to a country’s energy system when war reaches its offshore gas fields?

In this episode of Energy Vista, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with Dr. Amit Mor, CEO of EcoEnergy and Senior Lecturer at Reichman University, to examine how Israel’s energy system is operating under wartime, the implications for Jordan and Egypt’s electricity systems, and the broader risks to global energy markets as tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz.

They also discuss how energy infrastructure, maritime chokepoints, and geopolitical rivalries are increasingly intertwined in today’s energy landscape.

The episode highlights a core theme of Energy Vista: energy security is national security.

Key topics discussed

• How Israel maintains electricity supply despite the shutdown of major gas platforms
• Israel’s regional gas integration with Jordan and Egypt
• The geopolitical implications of attacks on energy infrastructure
• Iran’s weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz

🎧 Listen to the full episode:

YouTube
Apple Podcasts
Spotify

(Links)

📩 Follow Energy Vista for more analysis:
https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/

Sponsorship

Energy Vista welcomes sponsors and partners interested in supporting independent conversations on energy geopolitics, global energy markets, trade and strategic infrastructure.

For sponsorship inquiries:
📩 admin@energyvista.org

Leslie Chats with Amit Mor on Israel’s Energy Security in Wartime, Hormuz, and the Future of Regional Corridors

🎙️ New Energy Vista Episode

What happens to global energy markets when the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint shuts down?   

In this new Energy Vista episode, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with Kevin Book, Co-Founder and Director of Research at ClearView Energy Partners, to unpack the unfolding war in Iran and its profound implications for oil, LNG trade, and global energy security.  

The conversation comes at a moment when transit through the Strait of Hormuz has halted amid the ongoing joint US and Israeli military operations against Iran and Teheran's retaliations against more than a dozen countries, sending shockwaves across commodity markets and raising the specter of a massive supply disruption.  

• Why the Strait of Hormuz crisis is the biggest single point of failure in the global oil system  • Why prices have not spiked as much as expected despite major supply risks  

• The role of US shale, strategic reserves, and demand resilience  

• China’s vulnerability and options for major importers   

• What this crisis means for future energy security  

This is a conversation at the intersection of war, commodities, shipping, and global energy strategy.  

🎧 Listen now on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@lesliepalti/podcasts  

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/energy-vista/id1441858833  

🎧 Listen now on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/31WEeRKpb9IQDSDdqYOcd6  

📩 Follow Leslie’s analysis on Substack: https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/  

#EnergyVista #EnergyGeopolitics #OilMarkets #LNG #Hormuz #NatGas #Shipping #EnergySecurity #Geopolitics #China #OilandGas #Maritime #China #Iran #Israel #USA #tanker #commodities #Oil

Leslie Chats with Kevin Book on the Iran War, the Hormuz Chokepoint, and Global Energy Security

Can the West still compete in nuclear power?

In this French-language Energy Vista, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with David Lévy, former nuclear official and energy executive, for a strategic conversation on nuclear sovereignty, transatlantic cooperation, and Europe’s industrial future.

From France’s original licensing of Westinghouse technology to today’s competition with Russia and China, we explore:

• Should the US and Europe (+Japan and South Korea) form a coherent Western nuclear bloc?
• China building 37 reactors in parallel, what does that mean for influence?
• Why renewables alone cannot provide base load for AI and data centers

This episode connects energy policy to geopolitics, industrial survival, and global power.

🎧 Listen on YouTube (with subtitles), Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

🔎 Related Energy Vista episodes:
• Philipp Chaffee on global nuclear revival, supply chains and policy drivers
• Cécile Maisonneuve on Europe’s strategic autonomy, nuclear and the new geopolitics of electricity

Subscribe for deeper energy geopolitics and market intelligence:
👉 https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/

#EnergyVista #NuclearEnergy #EnergySecurity #Transatlantic #Europe #USA #China #Russia #EnergyPolicy #Electricity #Geopolitics #StrategicAutonomy #EnergyMarkets

A Chat with Leslie and David Lévy on Nuclear Revival and the West’s Competition with China and Russia

Is Iran weaker today due to sanctions?

In this episode of Energy Vista, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with geoeconomic expert Rachel Ziemba to unpack the use of US economic statecraft against Iran in an era of shadow fleets and great-power fragmentation.

We discuss:

• How much of Iran’s current economic and political weakness is actually driven by sanctions
• China’s decisive role in sustaining Iranian, Russian, and Venezuelan crude exports
• The rise of a sanctions-evasion ecosystem linking Iran, Russia, and Venezuela
• Whether the Houthis’ disruption of Red Sea shipping indirectly enables sanctioned oil trade
• Has the US overstretched its economic statecraft tools?

At stake is more than Iran. This is about the durability of US financial power, the fragmentation of global energy markets, and whether sanctions remain leverage.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube.

📩 Subscribe for deeper market intelligence and geopolitical analysis:
https://lesliepaltiguzman.substack.com/

#EnergyVista #Sanctions #Iran #Geoeconomics #EnergySecurity #LNG #OilMarkets #China #MaritimeSecurity #ShadowFleet #EconomicStatecraft #Geopolitics

Leslie Chats with Rachel Ziemba on on Iran’s Weakness, Oil Sanctions, and the Future of US Economic Statecraft

lpaltiguzman (@lpaltiguzman) · Zencastr

lpaltiguzman (@lpaltiguzman)

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary experts. In each episode of the Energy Vista podcast, Leslie Palti-Guzman chats with energy experts from all around the world.

What is the goal? Making Experts Great Again and exploring ways to contribute more actively to the public debate and policymaking around the geopolitics of energy & trade, a topic Leslie is deeply passionate about and have considerable expertise in.

* We will delve into some timely and news-driven energy issues

* We will ask tough questions 

* We will hear their professional/personal trajectories and advice for all of us

© Energy Vista LLC / Leslie Palti-Guzman. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, or AI-training use prohibited.