Amid global energy crunch, Biden on track to boost Iranian oil, impede Israeli gas exports to Europe

ussia's invasion of Ukraine has thrown the global energy market into a state of turmoil, forcing the U.S. and Europe to look for substitutes for Russian oil and gas. In that process, the Biden administration has turned to Iran as a potential supplier — just two months after effectively killing an Israeli pipeline project that would have supplied natural gas to Europe.

The administration's decision to engage Iran, a decades-long adversary of the U.S., about supplying energy while opposing a close ally's energy project is feeding concerns among experts that he rewards foes and punishes friends in the Middle East.

After Biden announced a ban on American imports of Russian energy earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the "discussion of oil" was part of negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Senior administrations officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have also declined to rule out purchasing Iranian oil, saying "all options are on the table."

Meanwhile, U.S. negotiators have been working with foreign diplomats in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal, one of the Biden administration's chief policy goals.