Wednesday 22 July 2026. Here is the day at a glance.
The Gulf war is now a two-chokepoint problem. US forces struck Iran for a tenth consecutive night into Tuesday and Iran hit another tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, with the 17 June interim deal collapsed (The Irish Times). Roughly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil once moved through Hormuz, and traffic is now a fraction of that (2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis). On Monday the Houthis declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia through Bab al-Mandeb, and tankers are turning back. Reuters, via The War Zone, estimates a full closure there would cut about 7 per cent of global oil supply, on top of Hormuz.
The market has repriced the region. Hull war-risk cover for Hormuz now runs 3 to 10 per cent of vessel value, from 0.25 per cent pre-war (The National), and the IMO's 8 July update put around 6,000 seafarers stranded awaiting evacuation. Movement tradecraft matters: the standing US advisory 2026-004 tells ships to ignore Iranian diversion orders, keep 30 nautical miles from naval units, and expect degraded GNSS (gCaptain).
On regulation, the SIA's section 12 guidance for Martyn's Law is due in final form this autumn, ahead of a spring 2027 commencement (gov.uk, Norton Rose Fulbright). Map your venue tiers now.
On the threat desk: Haiti's Gang Suppression Force is on the ground but at roughly 1,000 of an authorised 5,550, with full strength not due until October (Security Council Report). And in Mali, JNIM has reimposed its Bamako fuel blockade, reasserting a siege on a capital that imports 95 per cent of its fuel by road (Wikipedia, Rio Times).
Full detail and sources on each desk. Stay sharp.
