A new battle for and in Iraq is going to open up. US interest have changed from military involvment to countering China, Russia and Iran, while also opting to support new oil and gas outlets/pipeline projects and investments. Washington's transactional strategies at play, but....maybe already too late and not effective?

Hormuz is once again becoming the world's most dangerous maritime chokepoint. Attacks on commercial shipping, large-scale U.S. strikes against Iranian military infrastructure, and renewed threats to Gulf energy exports are rapidly reshaping global oil and LNG markets. Our latest Blue Water Strategy Update assesses the military developments of the past 24 hours, identifies the Iranian targets struck, evaluates the risks facing commercial shipping, and provides a forward-looking assessment of what the next seven days could mean for energy security, insurance, freight markets and global trade. If resilience is becoming the new currency of energy security, this is essential reading.

A security source cited by Tasnim says one of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed's most influential advisors has been working with Israeli intelligence since 2015.

Israel hit Dahiyeh in Beirut on Sunday. This wasn't random — Iran had publicly warned multiple times that Beirut was a red line. So 30 missiles followed. Israel hit back at Iranian air defenses. Yemen the same day banned all Israeli ships from the Red Sea.

Trump called Netanyahu personally and told him not to retaliate. Israel ignored him on day 100 of the war.

Both sides stopped this morning. But Israel said Lebanon operations continue. That's the same trigger that started this whole round. Nothing is actually resolved.