Alpine Macro
Coverage of Alpine Macro in the Nexus archive.
- Welcome to the mega-war: Mideast and European conflicts merge, sucking in more countries along the way—even ones claiming neutrality
Wars in Iran and Ukraine are overlapping and expanding, with Ukraine attacking an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea and drones striking LNG tankers in Egypt. Saudi Arabia formed a Red Sea military coalition amid Houthi attacks, while analysts warn of converging conflicts threatening global shipping and European energy markets.
- The U.S. and Iran can’t agree on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The solution could be straight out of the Old Testament
The U.S. and Iran remain at an impasse over control of the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran requiring approval for ship traffic and attacking vessels outside its designated route, while the U.S. defends an alternate path near Oman through military protection. Oman has proposed a dual-corridor solution to manage traffic, with Iran controlling its northern route and Oman overseeing the southern channel under prewar conditions, but no agreement has been finalized.
- Top Iranian officials admitted to the supreme leader that the U.S. naval blockade was crushing the economy, report says, as Trump eyes reimposing it
Iran's president and central bank chief informed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei that the U.S. naval blockade is severely damaging Iran's economy, with dire warnings about budget crises and shortages. Officials were divided on signing a memorandum of understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, leading to Khamenei's conditional approval. The U.S. is considering reimposing the blockade, which could further disrupt Iranian oil sales and escalate tensions.