Middle East Crisis

Iran War
Report: Iran Limited the Impact of US Attacks

Iran suffered heavy damage during the Israeli-American attacks, but preparations for the war allowed the country's military to mitigate the effects on both its weapons stockpiles and leadership, Bloomberg reported, citing Western military intelligence sources.

Replacements in the command structure were appointed in advance, which reduced disruptions in leadership. Iran's missile and drone stockpiles have been kept well protected, and according to the informants, there is much evidence that the country still has significant stockpiles, with several long-range missiles and thousands of drones.

Launch pads have been moved around, making them difficult to take out. One estimate suggests that it would take another two to three weeks of attacks to knock out Iran's capabilities - but it could also take significantly longer.

The intelligence stands in contrast to several statements from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said that Iran's military capacity has been "wiped out".

Strait of Hormuz
Shipping company CEO: Difficult for our crews on board

It is a stressful situation for the crews on board the ships that are stuck in the Persian Gulf, says Swedish shipping company Stena Bulk's CEO Erik Hånell to TT.

Stena Bulk has "fewer than a handful" of ships left in the Gulf and is now forced to deal with the conflicting stream of different messages from the US and Iran.

- It is really a situation that we have to monitor and simply deal with the statements that are made, that is probably the toughest. But it is most difficult for the crews on board to hear these messages, says Hånell.

When Iran announced on Friday that the strait was open, several ships headed there, but Stena Bulk waited and awaited clearer information. Less than a day later, Iran declared the strait closed again and fired on ships.

Hånell emphasizes that they have the option of replacing the crews on board if the situation becomes untenable.

Economic effects
Expected fuel shortages could hit Europe soon

The fuel shortage is expected to hit Europe soon, regardless of how the situation in the Strait of Hormuz develops, writes the Washington Post.

The logistical problems that have existed in the Persian Gulf since the outbreak of war are expected to be felt more significantly in Europe within a few weeks, as fewer and fewer oil deliveries reach the port. As more and more commercial agreements with fixed prices expire, the fuel shortage could also affect other industries.

However, travel is expected to be the first to be affected, and according to experts, the low supply could be long-lasting.

“This is not something that will blow over in a few days or weeks, it could be months or years,” says Richard Mann of the consulting firm RW Mann & Co.