Solid Intel 🛰

INTEL: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROBES IRAN’S USE OF BINANCE TO EVADE SANCTIONS - DOJ investigating Iran's use of Binance to evade U.S. sanctions, sources say - Action follows crypto exchange's move to dismantle internal probe, sources say - Probe looked at more than $1B that flowed to network funding Iran-backed terror groups, sources say - The Wall Street Journal was unable to determine whether DOJ investigating Binance itself or solely customers on its platform - Crypto exchange's founder Changpeng Zhao received pardon from President Trump in October Twitter

INTEL: Japan's PM Takaichi says Japan to start releasing part of its oil reserves as early as March 16th Twitter

INTEL: A cargo ship is struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK says Twitter

INTEL: BINANCE, PAYPAL, AND RIPPLE JOIN MASTERCARD'S NEW PUSH INTO BLOCKCHAIN PAYMENTS Twitter

INTEL: Trump says US forces have just obliterated 10 inactive mine-laying boats or ships and warns more strikes are coming Twitter

INTEL: Trump demands Iran immediately remove all mines in the Strait of Hormuz or face unprecedented military consequences, calling removal a “giant step in the right direction” Twitter

INTEL: US INTELLIGENCE BEGUN TO SEE SIGNS IRAN TAKING STEPS TO DEPLOY MINES IN STRAIGHT OF HORMUZ Twitter

INTEL: USA, ISRAEL - IRAN CONFLICT UPDATE MILITARY AND INFRASTRUCTURE * Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Iran’s new Supreme Leader * The U.S. and Israel launched their most intense strikes of the war so far * Strikes hit Tehran oil depots and refineries in a major escalation against Iranian infrastructure * The Pentagon said over 5,000 targets have been hit, including 50+ Iranian naval vessels * Iran continued retaliatory strikes across the Gulf and vowed further escalation ENERGY AND SHIPPING * The Strait of Hormuz is effectively shut, with traffic down about 97% * Iran warned it would block regional oil exports while attacks continue * About 1.9 million bpd of Gulf refining capacity has been shut or reduced * Brent crude spiked near $119 before collapsing back below $90 * Aramco warned a prolonged Hormuz shutdown would be catastrophic for global oil markets ECONOMIC IMPACT AND GLOBAL RESPONSE * G7 ministers held emergency talks but did not release strategic reserves * The IEA was asked to assess market conditions and possible response scenarios * The U.S. is considering SPR sales and other emergency oil measures * South Korea moved to cap fuel prices after a 6% KOSPI drop * Shipping insurance, trade flows and global energy markets remain under heavy stress Twitter

INTEL: Seven S&P 500 industries including real estate management and software have entered correction territory year to date despite modest index moves Twitter

INTEL: US FEB. EXISTING HOME SALES AT 4.09M; EST. 3.89M US FEB. EXISTING HOME SALES RISE 1.7% M/M; EST. -0.8% Twitter

INTEL: US Treasury targets a record $15B debt buyback today, its biggest since restarting buybacks in 2024 Twitter

INTEL: Drone strike shuts ADNOC’s 922,000-bpd Ruwais refinery, compounding Gulf outages after Saudi’s largest refinery halted and Qatar shut its biggest LNG export plant Twitter

INTEL: Iran flatly rejects any truce, an official says Twitter

INTEL: Maersk suspends all bookings to and from UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia until March 21 Twitter

INTEL: Hyperliquid oil trading volume surged from $21M to over $1.2B since the US-Israel strike on Iran Twitter

INTEL: PRESIDENT TRUMP CONFERENCE SUMMARY - MAKING MAJOR STRIDES TOWARD MILITARY OBJECTIVE - PEOPLE COULD SAY THEY'RE PRETTY WELL COMPLETE - DESTROYED 51 IRANIAN SHIPS - LEFT SOME OF MOST IMPORTANT IRAN TARGETS LEFT FOR LATER - COULD HIT IRAN ELECTRIC PRODUCTION, BUT DON'T WANT TO - IRAN SAYS WAR CAN END IF GUARANTEED NOT ATTACKED AGAIN:STATE TV - WE WANT TO KEEP OIL FLOWING TO THE WORLD - IF IRAN HOLDS OIL SUPPLY, THEY'LL GET HIT HARDER - WAIVING SOME OIL-RELATED SANCTIONS - IRAN WAR WILL END 'VERY SOON' - CUBA WILL MAKE A DEAL OR WE'LL DO IT JUST AS EASY - LOOKING TO KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN - OIL PRICES ARE ARTIFICIALLY UP, I KNEW THEY'D GO UP IF I DID THIS - OIL HAS GONE UP LESS THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD - I WANT TO KEEP OPEN STRAIT OF HORMUZ - NEW IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER IS GOING TO LEAD TO JUST MORE OF THE SAME PROBLEM FOR IRAN - THIS WILL BE OVER WHEN IRAN HAS NO CAPACITY OF WEAPONRY AGAINST U.S., ISRAEL OR OUR ALLIES FOR A VERY LONG TIME TWITTER

INTEL: President Trump considers taking over Strait of Hormuz

INTEL: TRUMP SAYS WAR COULD BE OVER SOON Twitter

INTEL: Trump says he’s open to Khamenei being killed if Iran doesn’t meet US demands Twitter

INTEL: Trump is reviewing SPR release, export curbs, futures intervention, tax waivers and Jones Act easing to address rising oil prices Twitter