July 13, 2026 — Daily Digest

Status: WAR RESUMED — Blockade reimposed, 20% toll unveiled, Iran strikes UAE tankers, Brent +9%, KOSPI -8%

Headlines

Trump Reimposes Blockade + 20% Toll

  • US reinstating "THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE" effective Tuesday 4pm ET.
  • "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" framing + 20% fee on all cargo.
  • Trump: "We're going to hit them very hard tonight and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow."
  • Pickaxe Mountain targeted: "We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to get ready."

Third Night of US Strikes

  • CENTCOM strikes launched 16:45 ET Monday across Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, Bandar Abbas.

Iran Strikes Two UAE Tankers

  • Mombasa, Al Bahyah hit by Iranian cruise missiles in southern lane of Strait of Hormuz (Omani territorial waters).
  • One Indian crew member killed, eight wounded (six Indians, two Ukrainians).
  • Iran FM Araghchi: "POTUS is absolutely right… 20% is of course too much. We will be fair."

Iranian Retaliation Across Five Gulf States

  • Bahrain (5th Fleet HQ), Kuwait, Jordan, UAE, Oman.

IMO Opposition + Rubio Contradiction

  • IMO: "Stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation."
  • Rubio (June): "No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway."

Oil & Markets

  • Brent rose 7.8% to $81.92/bbl Monday, then $86.99/bbl Tue (+11.08% DoD, +24.77% YoY).
  • WTI ~$79.71/bbl.
  • KOSPI down 8%; SK Hynix −15%, Samsung Electronics −10%.
  • OPEC cut 2026 demand growth forecast to 780k b/d (3rd consecutive cut).

Significance

The MOU formally died. The 20% toll was the provocation Iran could not accept; Iran's tanker attacks and FM counter-offer turned it into a public framing war.

Sources

  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d2vn38dy1o
  • Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/13/trump-says-us-will-become-guardian-of-strait-of-hormuz-and-collect-tolls
  • Axios: https://www.axios.com/2026/07/13/trump-iran-blockade-strait-hormuz
  • Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/13/us-launches-third-night-of-strikes-on-iran-as-trump-announces-hormuz-blockade
  • CFR: https://www.cfr.org/articles/trumps-iran-deal-has-collapsed-leaving-the-u-s-with-few-good-options