Crescent and the Crisis of National Narrative: A Legal–Media Analysis of Trust in Iran’s Energy Governance
Subject Areas : Commercial law
1 - Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Crescent, narrative governance, international energy arbitration, institutional legitimacy, legal transparency,
Abstract :
This article adopts an interdisciplinary approach to argue that the Crescent case, beyond being a purely legal dispute, has transformed into a critical test of communicative competence and the legitimacy of energy governance in Iran. Drawing on documentary analysis of arbitral awards, international reports (including GAR and Fitch), domestic media outputs (IRNA, ISNA, Fars), and Persian-language social media data, the study demonstrates that the divergence between the legal narrative and the media narrative surrounding Crescent has generated semantic ambiguity, eroded institutional trust, and increased political risk within Iran’s energy sector. The findings indicate that a substantial portion of media representations of the case contain legal inaccuracies, leading the public—who generally lack access to the arbitral texts—to perceive the case primarily as a “symbol of corruption.” Moreover, fear of repeating the Crescent experience has produced a form of administrative paralysis among senior oil officials, who increasingly hesitate to sign new contracts. Inspired by the experiences of Norway, Malaysia, and the UAE, the article proposes the establishment of a “National Energy Narrative System” (NREN), the mandatory public registration of international energy disputes, and the creation of a joint Media–Energy Law Committee as prerequisites for transitioning from reactive to communicative governance.
