Hormuz traffic remains constrained
Strait of Hormuz transit activity remained constrained over 5 to 7 June, with only eight monitored crossings across commercial and non-commercial traffic. The total was one below the single-day count on 4 June and 14 below the previous weekend, underscoring a break from stronger weekend permissive passage. All crossings used the Iranian Route, while only two sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels transited, pointing to weak broader commercial participation.
A recent attack on an MSC containership has reinforced the fragile operating picture in the area. Against a more volatile diplomatic backdrop, the Strait is likely to remain open only under narrow, tightly managed conditions, and moving further away from stabilising or increasing flows.
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Just a reminder that the President of the United States has a direct financial interest in TKO, the parent company that owns the UFC. Crickets from the press as they just do their trained seal routine.
Within hours of being announced as the nominee to be the U.S. Director of the CIA, I received a hand-delivered message on MI6 stationery congratulating me on my nomination. It was signed simply "C" in green ink. Legendary. I shared it with my son and even he thought I was now cool!
More than that, this note, from Sir Alex Younger, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom, confirmed what I already believed: the work that the CIA and MI6 did together mattered, that the partnership was critical, and that two leaders focused on the mission could save lives and provide tools for our nations to deter our adversaries.
Alex's passing this week brought back so many memories of our time in service together. He flew to Langley to see me the day I was confirmed. We brought our two senior teams together in the UK to plan and coordinate and build in the first several weeks of my time on duty: making clear to them all that this relationship was more than special - it was critical for the security of our two countries.
Alex was a remarkable intelligence partner. When we needed help, it wasn't "let me see;" it was "this matters to you and America we'll get it done." And he and his team always did. I think he knew we would do the same for him and his team and his nation. Many Americans are alive today because of his leadership of MI6, I never knew how to thank him enough.
Alex became a friend as well. In the years since we both left office we would see each other from time to time. He was always so kind, so thoughtful, so smart. His deep love of his country was surpassed only by his deep commitment and love of his family. Decent and proper - and funny as hell - Alex was "C." As espionage requires, he was quiet, not attention seeking. He knew what evil was and he was ruthless in his efforts to crush it with every legal tool at his command. And he knew who his friends were and committed himself to supporting them.
I miss Sir Alex Younger. He was a role model for me and a man with whom every minute I spent was valued and savored. Blessings to you Alex. Praying for you and for your family. Well done and may you rest in peace in His hands.
it’s probably true a few sanctioned tankers from the old Iran trade found a new home, but claims that we’re seeing a massive, unpriced deluge leaking out onto the water is an absolute stretch.
You’ve got to unpack the structural drivers behind massive MSC JV earlier this year. Sinokor went on an absolute tear sweeping up VLCC capacity—including Dynacom's tonnage—and effectively cornered 20-30% of the entire global spot pool.
These guys are tier one, institutional shipowners operating squarely under the regulatory magnifying glass of Washington and Brussels. The Dark Fleet laundering Iranian barrels runs on rustbuckets—20+ year old disposable hulls wrapped in layers of untraceable shell companies.
If Sinokor and Dynacom started running rogue Iranian crude via STS right in the middle of a US naval blockade with their own corporate flags flying off the stern, secondary sanctions would literally vaporize their entire balance sheets overnight. It’s an untradeable tail risk for them.
What they're running via STS isn't a laundry cycle for dark barrels. It’s almost certainly a logistical re-routing play—shuttling legitimate, stranded barrels out of the chokehold inside the Gulf and over to clean windows in the Gulf of Oman or the Arabian Sea.
Even if you assume the entire inventory delta is dark oil hitting the water, I honestly don't see how a 10mb delta moves the needle in any meaningful way.
#oott #iran
I find it incredibly easy to believe. Pratt basically performed at his poll numbers, in a city that is bluer than the county and in a county that is bluer than a very blue state. Bass is establishment Dem (not by her resume but by virtue of her incumbency) at a time of surging leftwing populism. The idea that either of the Democrat candidates wouldn’t have preferred to run against Pratt is preposterous. So the conspiracy to tank Pratt would have to be against the wishes of both candidates who benefitted from this conspiracy. Also, the forces that tanked Pratt were fine with letting the Trump backed Republican gubernatorial candidate make it to the general? Really? Also the demographics of Raman voters are perfectly consonant with the habits of young voters. Last, California’s incompetence at counting votes has yielded GOP wins in the past. Assuming that the same delays now “prove” anything other than consistently lethargic counting is a giant logical error.
Meanwhile, the fact that a lot of low information people think it was obviously stolen means nothing to me in terms of how to think about the facts, but you’re right that it matters politically and culturally. That people who should know better are letting their motivated reasoning get the better of them and are stoking this belief matters more.
Final crude estimate for June 5 week.
Total crude draw of 12.91 million bbls.
SPR release of 7.9 million bbls.
Commercial crude draw of 5.01 million bbls.
Iran attacked Israel, the Kurds in Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, and several ships in the straits, all in the past several weeks.
Things are not “working out very well” Mr. President
"DC Elites" is just the left version of "The Deep State"; a vague, meaningless term for people to dismiss bad behavior and scandals by their chosen candidate, without actually addressing any of the substance.
Really is just Left MAGA.
Khanna says that Democrats should respect the women who came forward to talk about Platner while understanding that he changed and that veterans were “broken” in stupid wars.
This is an echo of the terrible smear that became a pop culture trope about Vietnam veterans: that they came back as walking time bombs. Whether you are pro or con Platner, he chose to go to war, and America's veterans are not "broken" people.
This is an echo of the terrible smear that became a pop culture trope about Vietnam veterans: that they came back as walking time bombs. Whether you are pro or con Platner, he chose to go to war, and America's veterans are not "broken" people.
Saying “I would jail anyone I dislike who might get in the way of my side acquiring power” isn’t really the best way to convince people that you aren’t a, well, you know.
Multiple Houthi drones intercepted at Eilat without sirens.
This, coupled with last night's Houthi ballistic missile attacks against Israel, will probably see an Israeli response against Houthi targets at Sana'a, Hodeidah, Ras Isa &/or Saleef.
The Houthis likely anticipated an Israeli response, which explains why the Houthis reiterated their ban on Israeli linked shipping transiting the Bab al Mandeb, thus reestablishing the narrative for renewed escalation against vessels/companies calling at Israeli ports.
Global waterborne clean product exports in million barrels per day. The last three months saw 238 million fewer barrels exported compared to March–May 2025.😬.
🚨NEW: Trump told me that he'd warned Netanyahu that if he went back to war with Iran, he might find himself fighting alone. "I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'" Trump said
JUST IN: 111 ex-federal prosecutors who served in the Northern District of Illinois have issued a statement about U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' office, expressing concern about an exodus of talent, grand jury irregularities, collapsed cases and a breach of trust with judges: