The day's intelligence for close-protection and security professionals.
Hormuz — the fight is over the terms. The Strait of Hormuz stays all but shut. Oman has drafted an IMO-backed plan to manage passage, including navigation fees, which France and Britain are studying and Washington and its Gulf partners reject as a unilateral Iranian toll. Al Jazeera reported around five transits mid-week against roughly 130 a day before the war. About 6,000 seafarers remain trapped behind the closure after the IMO paused its evacuation. A US oil-sanctions wind-down licence closes on 17 July. Treat the Omani proposal and that deadline as the tripwires.
War-risk cover has repriced. Hull war-risk premiums for a Hormuz transit run at two to six percent of a vessel's value, with underwriters quoting five percent as the floor and some advising owners to pause transits. Demand for cover is falling — because owners have stopped sailing, not because confidence has returned. Confirm cover is in place before any Gulf-linked task.
World Cup — peak week. The final is 19 July at MetLife. More than 600 drones have been seized near sites since 11 June, most nuisance rather than hostile, but mitigation stays with federal agencies and FBI-trained police. Private teams detect and report; they cannot engage.
SIA refresher. Since 1 April, close-protection operatives cannot renew a licence without an approved refresher qualification first, with a valid first-aid ticket as a prerequisite. Audit your operators' expiry dates now; a lapse strands a detail.
Mali. JNIM's fuel blockade on Bamako holds, with Kayes and Nioro cut off and the junta running escorted convoys through the fuel war. Bamako is under siege conditions — hours-long fuel queues and rationing to military and government use.
Haiti. The UN-backed Gang Suppression Force is still at roughly 1,000 of an authorised 5,550, with full capacity not expected until October, while gangs hold up to 90 percent of Port-au-Prince. The Security Council takes its 90-day briefing this month.
Tradecraft. GNSS spoofing continues to scramble navigation across the Gulf — impossible tracks, phantom vessels and corrupted AIS. Assume degraded positioning near Hormuz and brief crews on radar, visual and terrestrial cross-checks.
Sources and the full detail sit on each desk.
