Oil Tanker Going To China Forced To Reverse Course Before Crossing Hormuz Under US Blockade

 One day after a burst of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, when according to Bloomberg 19 ships crossed in either direction while Trump said that as many as 34 ships crossed the waterway on Sunday, shipping through Hormuz slumped back down again Monday, reversing Sunday's jump, as caution mounted ahead of a US naval blockade.

After 19 ships went through the Strait in either direction on Sunday - the most since the early stages of the war - the momentum reversed by Monday morning. Only four were observed passing on Monday: a single liquefied petroleum gas carrier was sighted entering the Gulf, and three small fuel tankers were raced to exit just hours before the blockade took effect at 10 a.m. New York time. 

Earlier in the day, the WSJ reported that the US has deployed more than 15 ships - including an aircraft carrier, multiple guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship and several other warships in the Middle East - in place to support the blockade. These ships have the ability to launch helicopters that support boarding operations, and some are capable of marshalling commercial vessels to specific areas to hold them in place.

The warships would likely operate outside the Strait of Hormuz to avoid threats fired by Iran, according to retired Navy Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan. “There are lots of ways you can construct this, and there are a lot of boarding forces in the region now,” Donegan said. “Don’t expect it all to be started at once, this will build. Blockades take time to have an impact.”

The UK Maritime Trade Operations also confirmed that the U.S. Navy is actively conducting enforcement operations as part of its blockade on Iranian ports and coastal areas.

Meanwhile, Marine Traffic reported that at least two tankers reversed course near the Strait of Hormuz shortly after the start of the US blockade, highlighting the immediate impact on vessel movements. They flag the 188-metre tanker Rich Starry, which turned back within minutes of approaching the chokepoint. The vessel had departed Sharjah Anchorage on 13 April and was sailing laden, with a reported draught of 11.3 metres, while signalling China as its destination. A second tanker, the 175-metre tanker Ostria, also reversed course after approaching the Strait.

Two tankers turn away from Strait of Hormuz after US blockade begins

At least two tankers reversed course near the Strait of Hormuz shortly after the start of the US blockade, highlighting the immediate impact on vessel movements. According to #MarineTraffic data, the 188-metre… pic.twitter.com/dRNi7yEgJI

— MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) April 13, 2026

The tanker U-turns follows unconfirmed reports that China has warned the US not to block/intercept Chinese ships/tankers, or face consequences that could potentially include military provocations.

China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun reportedly sent a message to the Trump administration and the U.S. Navy emphasizing Beijing’s intent to continue operating in the Strait of Hormuz and uphold its agreements with Iran. “Our ships are moving in and out of the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. We have trade and energy agreements with Iran. We will respect and honor those agreements and expect others not to interfere in our affairs" adding that “Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and it is open for us.”

As of 2pm ET, this threat remains unconfirmed by official medial. 

According to Bloomberg, the US blockade may prompt more ships to cut their tracking signals to avoid detection in high-risk shipping lanes, making it even harder to get an accurate picture of what’s going through.  Sunday’s outbound movements included three containerships and three bulkers primarily tied to Tehran, as well as a China-linked fuel tanker, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

On Monday, departures so far included a US-sanctioned oil products tanker and a fuel tanker involved in recent Iranian loading operations. A small LPG carrier also left the Iranian island corridor Monday morning, following an inbound transit on Sunday and an overnight stop.

Meanwhile, two sanctioned supertankers loaded with Iranian crude have anchored off Indian ports, marking what could be the first such cargoes to arrive in the country in nearly seven years.

It’s unclear how the US blockade will affect waivers and existing purchases. It is also unclear if the US will extend or undo the waiver it granted for Iran oil sanctions, now that strategy has reversed to contain Iranian oil. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/oil-tanker-going-china-forced-reverse-course-crossing-hormuz-under-us-blockade

Trump says 34 ships transited Strait of Hormuz on Sunday

President Trump said Monday that 34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, as the U.S. moved to block ships from transiting the critical body of water from Iranian ports.

“34 Ships went through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, which is by far the highest number since this foolish closure began,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday. 

The strait, which normally sees roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil travel through it, has remained mostly closed throughout the war between the U.S. and Iran, which began in late February. 

Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. would oversee a blockade of all Iranian ports. 

Oil prices soared to more than $100 a barrel on Monday amid concerns and uncertainty over the blockade, which Trump confirmed to reporters had taken effect. 

The development comes after talks between the U.S. and Iran failed in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend.

Vice President Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, told reporters in Pakistan that while the 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials were “substantive,” the two sides were unable to reach a peace agreement. 

One of the red lines for the U.S. in negotiations was fully opening the Strait of Hormuz, and charging no tolls for transiting through it. 

Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, posted Saturday on the social platform X that negotiations were “intensive.” He added that the two sides discussed the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program, an end to and reparations for the war and the U.S. lifting sanctions on the Middle Eastern country.

Trump told reporters Monday that Iranian officials called U.S. representatives on Monday morning, hoping to make a deal. 

“We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people and they want to work to do, they would like to work,” Trump said. 

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5829020-strait-hormuz-shipping-increase/

Iran weighing Bab al-Mandeb disruption via Houthis, MP says

 

An Iranian lawmaker said Tehran is considering disrupting shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait via its Houthi allies in response to US President Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have more serious winning cards; the United States must understand that, with the help of our Yemeni brothers, the issue of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is also under consideration and action,” Behnam Saeedi, a member of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said.

Saeedi warned that any disruption to security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman would have wider regional consequences and added that any military or commercial entity aligning with Trump’s actions would face a “decisive and regret-inducing response.”

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604067622

USP adds Tamiflu, Trulicity to vulnerable list as upstream analysis reshapes supply concerns

 

Almost half of the top 100 medicines vulnerable to supply disruptions in the U.S. have at least one key starting material with a single source country, according to a new report from United States Pharmacopeia.

The United States Pharmacopeia has updated its list of products vulnerable to supply disruptions, adding drugs including Tamiflu and Trulicity after expanding its risk assessment to key starting materials.

Last year, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) assessed medicines’ clinical importance, demand and supply chains to create a list of 100 vulnerable products. The nonprofit, which publishes a compendium of drug information each year, expanded the analysis this year to include key starting materials (KSMs). Because KSMs are used to make active ingredients, disruption to their supply can cause drug shortages.

The USP found 48 of the 100 vulnerable drugs use a KSM that is only sourced from one country. While the new analysis lacks information on where KSM supply is concentrated, the nonprofit said last year that 41% of KSMs in U.S.-approved active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are only sourced from China. Another 16% of KSMs in U.S. APIs are only supplied by Indian companies. Most of the remaining 43% of KSMs are sourced from two or more countries.

The inclusion of KSM supply in the analysis affected which drugs the USP included on the latest list. The USP said the supply of more than one-quarter of the drugs on the latest list appears stable based on the finished product availability. However, the KSM analysis showed the products have “a single upstream potential point of failure,” leading the nonprofit to conclude they are vulnerable to supply disruption.

The USP named oseltamivir capsules, famotidine injection and metoprolol tartrate injection as drugs that it added to the list because of the KSM analysis. Oseltamivir, an antiviral that Roche sells as Tamiflu, and the two other drugs have “low measured shortage risk” and were not deemed vulnerable in last year’s analysis, the USP said. However, the three drugs rely on a single region for at least one of their KSMs.

None of the three products is on the FDA’s shortage list, but the presence of supply chain weaknesses led the USP to conclude they are vulnerable to supply disruption. Overall, 70 of the medicines on the list were readily available when the USP performed its analysis in February.

Those 70 products include dulaglutide, the GLP-1 receptor agonist that Eli Lilly sells as Trulicity. There is no explanation why the USP deemed dulaglutide, which was not on the previous list, to be vulnerable. The previous list included semaglutide, the GLP-1 drug that Novo Nordisk sells as Ozempic and Wegovy. The USP removed semaglutide from the latest list, reflecting the resolution of the drug’s shortage.

https://www.biospace.com/business/usp-adds-tamiflu-trulicity-to-vulnerable-list-as-upstream-analysis-reshapes-supply-concerns

'US, Iran said to be engaged in talks: Axios'

 Contact between the US and Iran for a potential agreement is still ongoing, Axios reported on Monday, citing a US official. According to the outlet, the main obstacle preventing a deal was disagreements over Iran's nuclear program.

"There is continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement," the media quoted the official as saying.

The outlet added that although no deal had been reached, the Iranians were taken aback by US Vice President JD Vance's address. According to a knowledgeable source, during negotiations in Islamabad over the weekend, the US suggested that Iran agree to a 20-year ban on uranium enrichment. The sources claim that the Iranians responded with a shorter "single-digit" period.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/US-Iran-said-to-be-engaged-in-talks/66057973

Trump: Won't be nice for Iran after deadline ends

 US President Donald Trump pointed out on Monday that "it won't be nice" for Iran if a deal with the country was not reached by the end of the ceasefire deadline on April 21.

"It won't be nice for Iran when the ceasefire deadline ends, we won't let them blackmail us," he told reporters outside the Oval Office. "We have a blockade. They're doing no business, Iran is doing absolutely no business ... and we're going to keep it that way. There's no fighting right now."

Trump added ‌that ⁠Iran ‌wanted to ⁠make a deal ​"very badly," and ‌that he will not ‌agree ​to any agreement that ​allows ​Tehran to ​have ​a nuclear weapon. On April 7, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, after more than a month of war.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Trump:-Won't-be-nice-for-Iran-after-deadline-ends/66058074

Aimei: Profit-taking, volatility reversal hit low-float SPAC after recent parabolic surge

 

AFJK, a Nasdaq-listed SPAC pursuing a long-pending business combination with United Hydrogen Group (a Chinese hydrogen solutions firm announced in 2024), has exhibited extreme swings due to heavy redemptions creating a very low public float. It experienced a massive retail-fueled spike (over +140% intraday on April 9 with multiple LULD halts), followed by a 17.5% drop on April 10. Today's -22.45% (or ~ -22.7% per intraday data, closing near $43.28 from a prior $56 close) continued that reversal amid thin volume, additional LULD volatility halts, and high short-term borrow fees that had previously supported squeezes. Prior events include the 17th one-month extension of the merger deadline to May 6 (announced April 7 via an ~$34k trust deposit funded by a convertible promissory note to the sponsor and target) and a delayed 2025 Form 10-K filing in early April. No new fundamental negative announcement, regulatory action, or earnings release triggered the specific session; the move reflects unwinding of speculative momentum in this microcap name, consistent with patterns in other volatile SPAC/de-SPAC names.

https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=AFJK&p=d