As if the United States did not have enough issues with OPEC already, news reports reveal that there may be more cause for concern. According to the British publication the Guardian, Rostam Ghasemi will be the new president of OPEC. Ghasemi is a commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, who has been sanctioned by the United States, European Union, and Australia, and has had his assets blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury.

Iran took control of OPEC last October after 36 years under a rotating system, and some contend that with Ghasemi holding the position as president, the Revolutionary Guard will become more influential.

As President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s hand-picked nominee, Ghasemi was elected to be Iran's Oil Minister (making him president of OPEC) in an overwhelming vote, with 216 of the 264 deputies voting in his favor.  He is the first commander from the parliamentary force to take a position that is not defensive in nature.

Click here to read the entire article.