We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
My preliminary analysis based on the events of the last 48 hours are that despite the US strikes, muted Iranian response, and dubious announcement of a ceasefire— the fundamental strategic situation between Israel, Iran, and the US has not changed.
Israel continues to seek regime change. Iran's nuclear program has apparently not been destroyed. And there is little hope that the United States can resume diplomacy with Iran.
Iran's retaliation and their apparent decision not to withdraw from the NPT or close the Strait of Hormuz is de-escalatory. Trump has clearly preferred a diplomatic resolution throughout the 60-day timetable and the "12-day war."
Israel cannot survive a sustained conflict of this nature with Iran. Which means they will have to escalate their tactics or sue for a temporary ceasefire.
Earlier today, the Washington Post reported that IRGC commanders received a 12-hour ultimatum from Mossad to oppose to Iranian regime or have their families killed. Israel is carrying out the most intense strikes since the war started as we speak, including assassinations.
Is this one last blow before a short reprieve? Or a last-minute sucker punch to provoke Iran into reneging on the ceasefire, assuming there was such an agreement.
Israel's attack on Iran galvanized the public against the West and rallied them to the regime. Are the IRGC assassinations and ceasefire a gambit to leave room for an "organic uprising" to breathe?
There are still conflicting reports on the ceasefire. And why would Iran trust the US and Israel after they broke similar agreements with Hamas and Hezbollah and after the surprise attacks by Israel and the US? The fog of war remains...
Much to consider, but the fact remains that the forces that drove these hostilities remain unchanged, and have probably intensified.
🇺🇸 #Oklahoma high school principal (Kirk Moore) seen charging at and disarming a school shooter.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Victor Hawkins, was a former student who said he wanted to shoot up the school “like the Columbine shooters did.” While taking down the shooter, Moore was shot in the leg. He is expected to recover.
When the Principal woke up that day, he never thought he would be tackling a gunman.
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🇨🇳🛢 How much strategic oil does the world actually have in reserve?
Global strategic crude oil inventories stood at ~2.5 BILLION barrels as of December 2025, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
China holds by far the largest stockpile at 1,397 million barrels, more than 3 times the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve of 413 million barrels, which itself sits at only 58% of its full storage capacity of 714 million barrels.
China added an average of 1.1 million barrels per day to its strategic inventories throughout 2025, with preliminary data suggesting it continued building stockpiles in early 2026 ahead of the Iran War.
Japan holds the 3rd-largest reserve at 263 million barrels, followed by OECD European countries at 179 million barrels.
Meanwhile, the US is releasing 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to suppress oil prices, part of a broader 400 million barrel coordinated release agreed by 32 IEA member nations in March.
🔗 ...
🛢 JP Morgan Warns Oil Market Out of Balance, Prices Must Rise
🔸The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil flows, has removed 13.7 million barrels per day from global supply in April alone. A JP Morgan research note warns the market has no good way to replace it.
🔸Normally, spare production capacity in Saudi Arabia and the UAE acts as the market’s shock absorber. But that buffer has effectively been removed, eliminating the system’s first line of defense.
🔸With spare capacity unavailable, markets turned to inventories
➤ Global stockpiles are now being drained at ~7.1 mbd in April, an extraordinary pace, according to the note.
🔸Meanwhile, demand is collapsing because supply simply isn’t reaching users — “forced demand destruction.”The hardest hit sectors include:
▪️ Petrochemical plants across Asia are shutting down or slashing output as LPG, ethane, and naphtha flows from the Gulf collapse
▪️ Airline jet fuel ...
🛢⛽️ Global oil inventories are heading toward RECORD LOWS:
Global visible oil inventories have fallen -255 million barrels since the start of the conflict on February 27, to 7,864 million barrels.
Total estimated oil draws, including non-OECD refined products storage, have accelerated to 10.9 million barrels per day in April, the largest monthly draws on record since 2017.
Cumulative estimated draws since the start of the war now stand at 474 million barrels, with Hormuz flows holding at ~10% of normal, or 2.0 million barrels per day.
Meanwhile, even in an optimistic scenario where Strait of Hormuz flows begin recovering by late April, it is unlikely to prevent global visible inventories from reaching all-time lows, according to Goldman Sachs.
As inventories keep falling, physical oil markets are likely to require sharply higher prices for immediate delivery, since buyers cannot wait months for cheaper futures delivery when stocks are running critically low.
Goldman also warns...
