Ruwais Refinery West (UAE) – 24° 6’41.43″N, 52°41’25.02″E Al Jubail (Saudi Arabia) – 27° 4’22.15″N, 49°35’36.58″E Al Zour Refinery (Kuwait) – 28°43’19.58″N, 48°19’3.62″E Mina Abdullah (Kuwait) – 29° 3’14.90″N, 48° 8’39.48″E Kharg Oil Facility (Iran) – 29°14’1.39″N, 50°18’33.49″E Abadan Oil Refinery (Iran) – 30°20’59.38″N, 48°16’44.44″E Bandar Abbas Oil Refining Company – 27°10’28.23″N, 56° 4’50.84″E Iranian…

Executive Summary: This report analyzes Vietnam’s intensified expansion of artificial islands in the disputed Spratly (Trong Sa) Islands in the South China Sea since November 2023 aiming to counter China’s growing presence and as self-defense, part of a broader strategy to counter security threats “early and from afar”. Vietnam is planning to expand more than…