Why does the Middle East have SO much oil—and why are countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, and the UAE sitting on some of the world’s largest oil reserves?

In this episode, we uncover the shocking geological story behind Middle East oil and explain how ancient seas, organic-rich sediments, heat, pressure, and millions of years of geological activity transformed buried organic matter into the crude oil that powers the modern world.

But the story doesn’t end with geology. We’ll explore why Middle East oil reserves became so strategically important, how OPEC shaped the global oil market, and why countries across the region have played such a major role in global energy, economics, and geopolitics.

From Saudi Arabia’s oil fields to the Persian Gulf and the world’s dependence on petroleum, discover why so much of the plan ...