CSIS satellite imagery analysis published September 9 documents the heaviest construction activity in the history of Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility, 2 kilometres from Natanz, as the IAEA confirms it has never gained access inside.
Tag: Iran
Posted inMarkets
Brent Crude Crosses $100 as US-Iran Tanker War Spreads to Jordan
Brent crude reached $100.71 on September 9, up 2.85% on the day, after the US-Iran tanker exchange and Iran’s ballistic missile strikes on Jordan deepened Gulf supply fears.
Posted inGeopolitics
US Destroys Five Iranian Tankers; Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at Jordan
The US destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on September 9; Iran responded by launching 20 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Al-Azraq base, with 18 of 20 intercepted.
Posted inGeopolitics
Iran Says Hormuz Shipping Deal With Oman Is Days Away
Iran says a Hormuz corridor deal with Oman is days away—the first structured sea lane since US strikes effectively closed the strait in late February 2026.
Posted inMarkets
Brent Crude Surges to $95 as Renewed US-Iran Strikes and Mine Reports Rattle Oil Markets
Brent crude rose roughly 5% to $94.86 a barrel on September 2, its highest since late July, after the US military launched fresh strikes around the Strait of Hormuz following alleged Iranian mine-laying.
Posted inGeopolitics
Iran Claims US Strike Hit a Wedding in Kuhestak as CENTCOM Launches New Hormuz Barrage
Iranian state media says a US airstrike killed at least four people at a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, Sirik County; US Central Command says it is reviewing the reports.
Posted inMarkets
Brent Crosses $90 as US-Iran Strikes Revive Hormuz Risk
Brent crude climbed above $90 per barrel on August 31 after US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, sending the Dow down over 370 points as energy traders repriced supply risk.
Posted inGeopolitics
US Strikes Iranian Rocket Launchers on Larak Island as IRGC Fires Back
American forces destroyed two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on August 31, the first US strike in the strait in nearly a month, drawing IRGC missile salvos at air bases in Jordan and the UAE.
Posted inGeopolitics
Iran’s IRGC and US Naval Blockade Lock Into Stalemate Over the Strait
With the Islamabad Memorandum’s 60-day window elapsed, Iran’s IRGC is asserting Strait of Hormuz control while Washington enforces its naval blockade and Tehran refuses new sanctions terms.
Posted inGeopolitics
Ratcliffe Flies to Moscow With a Warning on NATO and a Plea to Cut Iran Loose
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret visit to Moscow on August 26, meeting Russian intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin to warn against NATO attacks and urge Russia to end its support for Iran.