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This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Nicole Silverio

Joe Rogan fired back at comedian Steve-O after he falsely stated on Wednesday that Republican politicians are trying to put trans-identifying people in internment camps.

Steve-O said on “The Joe Rogan Experience” that he was heartbroken when a trans-identifying person said he could not use the bathroom at work and that politicians want to put them in camps. Rogan disputed these claims, stating that trans-identifying men cannot use the women’s restroom and that there is no movement to put trans-identifying individuals in internment camps.

“I just thought, man, I heard what they had to say about politicians trying to put them in internment camps,” Steve-O said.

“Who’s doing that? What politicians are saying they should be put in internment camps?” Rogan asked. “There might be one kook out there that’s saying that to try and get attention. There’s no movement to try to put transgender people in internment camps. Do you know who’s killed more people than [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] this year? Trans shooters. Do you know the majority of these high school shootings have been transgender people?”

Trans-identifying assailants have been responsible for several high-profile shootings in recent years, including Audrey Hale, a trans-identifying female who killed three students at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2023. A man named Robin Westman, who wrote in his manifesto that he regretted being trans, killed two students and injured 17 others at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

WATCH:

Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, was in a relationship with his trans-identifying boyfriend, Lance Twiggs, at the time of Kirk’s assassination. He told Twiggs in a text message that he “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, a biological male who identified as a female, killed nine people and injured 27 others in one of Canada’s deadliest school shootings on Feb. 12. Van Rootselaar also killed his mother, 11-year-old stepbrother and himself.

Rogan also argued that prohibiting men from women’s facilities protect women, particularly because some men enter these areas because they are turned on by pretending to be women and being surrounded by females.

“When you allow perverts to have this hall pass to go into women’s locker rooms and bathrooms, you can’t say you’re not allowed to use the bathroom where you work. That’s not true. You’re just not allowed to use the women’s room when other women are in there because you’re not a woman,” Rogan said. “And I know you wish you were a woman or whatever is going on, but you’re not. If you’re a woman, talk to most women about this. And unless they’re insanely captured by this woke ideology where they can’t see reality and the fact that perverts are still a real fucking thing.”

WATCH:

Some public places, such as the school district in Loudoun County, Virginia, have defied President Donald Trump’s Title IX enforcement order to protect women’s sports, bathrooms and locker rooms by allowing men into women’s spaces. A girl was sexually assaulted in a school bathroom in Loudoun County by a male student who claimed a transgender identity in 2021.

Copyright 2026 Daily Caller News Foundation

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Turkey’s intelligence service allegedly asked its British counterpart, MI6, to take on a broader role in protecting Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sara after recent assassination plots against him, according to five sources cited by the news agency Reuters.

Following the report, Turkey denied that the MIT intelligence agency had submitted such a request to MI6.

If the request was indeed made, it highlights the efforts of Syria’s foreign allies to stabilize a country that is still shaken by sporadic violence 15 months after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, while the U.S.–Israeli war against Iran is also destabilizing the wider region. These allies believe Sara could prevent a new civil war following the previous conflict, which lasted 14 years, displaced millions of refugees abroad, and allowed the Islamic State to seize control of large parts of Syrian territory.

Last month, jihadists intensified their attacks on soldiers and police across Syria and declared Sara—himself a former rebel—their “number one enemy.”

It is not clear exactly what MIT asked of MI6, or what role the British intelligence service may have taken, if any.

The Turkish presidency said in a statement that MIT cooperates with the international intelligence community and Syrian security services in the fight against terrorism, but that the Reuters report does not reflect the truth.
“Contrary to what is stated in the report, it is not true that MIT submitted any request to MI6 regarding the protection of the Syrian president,” the statement said.

Concern in Syria over Islamic State activity

Turkey, Britain, and the United States have expressed support for Sara in his effort to reunify and rebuild the country of 26 million people. London and Washington have lifted most of the sanctions previously imposed on Damascus and on the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which Sara once led.

The sources who spoke to Reuters asked to remain anonymous because the matter is “sensitive.” MIT, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, the UK Foreign Office, and Syria’s defense and interior ministries declined to comment when contacted by the news agency before the report was published.

All the sources, including Syrian and foreign officials, referred to “growing concern” over reports of Islamic State attempts to assassinate Sara. One Turkish source said MIT— which played a key role in helping the new Syrian government consolidate power—approached MI6 for additional support following such an incident last month.

A senior Syrian security source said the request came after an assassination plot was uncovered and that MIT, MI6, and Syrian authorities are sharing intelligence.

Last year, Sara and two of his ministers were targeted in five assassination attempts, according to the UN Counter-Terrorism Office. In November, Reuters reported that Syrian authorities had prevented two attacks.

The jihadist organization carried out six attacks against Syrian authorities last month, declaring that it had begun a “new phase” in its campaign.

On Thursday, Damascus publicly acknowledged for the first time that it coordinates actions with MIT, saying they had worked together to prevent an Islamic State attack in the Syrian capital. According to Turkish sources, MIT identified a three-person cell planning attacks using remotely detonated bombs and helped Syrian security services prevent an imminent attack.

This article originally appeared on m o d e r n i t y and was republished with permission.

Guest post by @ModernityNews

Research has found that the Covid pandemic and months of draconian lockdowns likely inflicted long-term harm on children’s brain development, hampering their ability to regulate behavior, stay focused, and adapt to new situations—skills collectively known as executive functions.

A new study led by the University of East Anglia highlights the greatest impact on pupils in reception, aged four to five, when the first lockdowns hit in March 2020—a critical stage for learning to socialize, follow routines, and navigate classroom life. Instead, millions of youngsters were trapped at home, subjected to online “learning” or parental teaching amid widespread government mandates.

These children, now around 10 to 11 in their final year of primary school, showed less growth in self-regulatory and cognitive flexibility scores over time compared to a group who were in preschool during the initial outbreak, according to the research published in the journal Child Development.

Researchers from the University of East Anglia, along with some from Lancaster University, and Durham University tracked 139 children aged between two-and-a-half and six-and-a-half over several years, with baseline data from before Covid allowing precise measurement of how development stalled.

Using the Minnesota Executive Function Scale, they assessed cognitive skills at regular intervals. Lead researcher Prof John Spencer from UEA’s School of Psychology said: “Children who were in reception when the country shut down showed much slower growth in key self-regulation and cognitive flexibility skills over the next few years than children who were still in preschool.”

“Reception is a critical year for peer socialisation. It’s when children learn classroom norms and build early friendships that shape their confidence,” Spencer added.

For this cohort starting school in 2020, classrooms shuttered, routines collapsed, and social interactions were severely restricted under heavy-handed policies. “Without these experiences, children’s self-regulatory skills didn’t develop as quickly year-on-year after the lockdowns ended,” Spencer further noted.

Many in this group also suffered repeated Covid infections, potentially compounding the damage from isolation. “Our findings suggest that peer socialisation and the new self–regulatory skills children must master in reception might be particularly critical for the development of executive function skills,” the researchers stated.

“Without these experiences, reception children had a challenging time developing self–regulation and cognitive flexibility in the years that followed the pandemic,” the study adds.

The research underscores how top-down government interventions disrupted natural childhood milestones, with effects lingering years later. It calls for more support from teachers, schools, and health services for this affected generation, while raising red flags about safeguarding kids in future “emergencies.”

A 2023 report by Speech and Language UK revealed the average child missed 84 school days due to Covid policies. Eight in ten teachers reported worsened pupil inattention post-pandemic, blaming screen-based “learning” and stunted social skills.

Teachers have also noted rises in needless chatter, shouting, and inappropriate laughing, with the “ever-swiping nature” of social media like TikTok worsening the fallout.

Previous research showed teenage girls’ brains aged prematurely by up to four years during lockdowns, with boys affected by one-and-a-half years—linked to social restrictions hitting girls harder.

University of Washington researchers compared MRI scans from 2018 to post-pandemic ones in 2021-2022, finding accelerated cortical thinning, a natural process tied to anxiety, stress, and higher disorder risks. Whether this is permanent remains unclear, but it spotlights the unseen toll of isolating youth.

This latest warning adds to a mountain of evidence exposing lockdowns as a disastrous overreach that prioritized control over common sense, devastating children’s futures.

A previous study highlighted how lockdowns drove 60,000 children in the UK to clinical depression, with the enforced isolation sparking widespread mental health crises among youth that required professional intervention.

Another investigation revealed that babies born during lockdown were less likely to speak before their first birthday, as the lack of face-to-face interactions and exposure to facial expressions hindered early language acquisition.

A further study found many children unable to say their own name due to the impact of lockdown, pointing to profound speech and developmental delays from limited social engagement.

Research also uncovered that children were suffering from as many as three different viruses simultaneously due to weakened immunity caused by lockdown, since prolonged indoor confinement prevented the natural building of defenses against common pathogens.

In addition, an outbreak of hepatitis in children was directly attributed to lockdowns that weakened immunity, resulting in unexpected surges of the liver condition among previously healthy kids.

Doctors also raised alarms over a mysterious outbreak of brain infections in Nevada kids, believing it was linked to COVID lockdowns that left children’s immune systems vulnerable and unprepared for routine exposures.

Disturbing lockdown drawings also illustrated the severe effect on children’s mental health, where artwork captured the trauma, fear, and emotional distress from being cut off from normal life.

These findings, among others like excess deaths and ignored warnings, paint a picture of policy failure. Lockdown zealots dismissed the collateral damage, but the data doesn’t lie—government mandates crushed freedom and futures alike.

Never again should bureaucrats be allowed to play god with our kids’ lives. Prioritizing liberty and evidence over fear is the only way to protect the next generation from such needless harm.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Copyright 2026 m o d e r n i t y

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AEGEAN has announced additional flight cancellations to and from airports in Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia due to ongoing developments in the Middle East.

Specifically:

• Flights to and from Riyadh are canceled until the early morning hours of March 14, 2026.
• Flights to and from Dubai are canceled until the evening of March 19, 2026.
• Flights to and from Tel Aviv are canceled until the early morning hours of March 20, 2026.
• Flights to and from Beirut, Erbil, and Baghdad are canceled until the early morning hours of March 25, 2026.

You can find a detailed table of the additional canceled flights here.

This article originally appeared on Focal Points and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

Our newly published peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons titled, Gene Expression Alterations Induced by mRNA Vaccines, presents compelling evidence that mRNA vaccines operate through a gene-altering mechanism of action (MOA)—fundamentally reprogramming human gene expression across multiple layers of biology.

The McCullough Foundation-Neo7Bioscience manuscript, authored by Nicolas Hulscher (myself), Dr. Peter A. McCullough, and Dr. John Catanzaro, synthesizes the latest multi-omic human evidence demonstrating coordinated transcriptomic, proteomic, and genomic alterations following mRNA vaccination.

Evidence now spans three major biological systems:

• Transcriptomics (gene expression)
• Proteomics (protein production)
• Genomics (DNA interactions)

mRNA technology interacts with the full molecular architecture of human biology. They actively reshape host gene expression networks, affecting metabolism, immune regulation, and cellular stress pathways.

RNA sequencing of individuals who developed new adverse events following mRNA vaccination revealed large-scale shifts in gene expression networks.

Major alterations involved pathways governing:

• mitochondrial dysfunction
• ribosomal impairment
• proteasomal stress
• dysregulation of translational control
• metabolic pathway disruption

These systems represent core cellular machinery, not simply immune signaling. Classical inflammatory pathways accounted for only a small fraction of the disrupted gene networks. Instead, the dominant signal was coordinated rewiring of cellular gene regulation programs.

Longitudinal analysis of healthy mRNA vaccine recipients tracked 342 plasma proteins over 24 weeks. Results showed:

214 of 342 proteins underwent statistically significant time-dependent changes.

Affected biological systems included:

• complement activation pathways
• metabolic regulation
• endocrine signaling
• vitamin and cofactor pathways

The largest molecular shifts occurred 16–24 weeks after vaccination, demonstrating that these effects are not transient immune responses.

Integrated multi-omic analysis of a patient who developed aggressive stage IV bladder cancer following mRNA vaccination revealed profound molecular disruptions, including:

• dysregulation of oncogenic driver genes (including KRAS, PIK3CA, and ATM)
• impaired DNA repair pathways and genomic instability
• widespread transcriptional reprogramming across cellular networks
• detection of a host–vector chimeric sequence aligned with the vaccine spike open reading frame within tumor DNA fragments — suggesting a possible integration of vaccine genetic material into the human genome

This case provides direct evidence of molecular interaction between vaccine genetic sequences and human DNA.

Taken together, the evidence demonstrates that mRNA injections do not function as simple vaccines. They act as genetic technologies capable of altering host gene expression systems.

The implications extend far beyond COVID-19 mRNA injections. The same gene-altering platform is now being expanded into:

• mRNA cancer injections
• mRNA influenza injections
• mRNA RSV injections
• personalized mRNA therapeutics
• self-amplifying RNA technologies

Yet these technologies were deployed globally without mandatory molecular surveillance to monitor gene expression changes, without genomic monitoring for integration events, and without engineered biological circuit breakers capable of shutting down aberrant expression cascades.

In other words, a powerful gene-transfer platform was rolled out to billions of people without the basic molecular safety safeguards normally required for genetic technologies.

As we concluded in the paper,

Absent mandatory molecular surveillance, enforceable safety gates, and embedded biological circuit breakers to halt aberrant gene expression, platforms such as mRNA vaccines remain inherently dangerous to humans. Immediate and comprehensive suspension of human use is therefore required.

Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation

www.mcculloughfnd.org

Please consider following both the McCullough Foundation and my personal account on X (formerly Twitter) for further content.

Copyright 2026 Focal Points

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Crude oil prices have surged, recording the largest weekly increase in the history of futures contracts, as the war in the Middle East causes massive disruptions to the global energy supply.

The international benchmark Brent rose by 8.52% or $7.28, reaching $92.69 per barrel. U.S. crude West Texas Intermediate (WTI) jumped on Friday by 12.21% or $9.89, closing at $90.90 per barrel.

On a weekly basis, U.S. crude posted a rise of 35.63%, the largest ever since the start of trading in the relevant futures contracts in 1983. Brent gained about 28%, marking its biggest weekly increase since April 2020.

The price surge is attributed to the escalation of the war between the United States and Iran, which has already caused serious disruptions to global energy flows. The situation has led to an almost complete paralysis of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important oil transport passages in the world.

U.S. President Donald Trump called on Friday for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” intensifying concerns about a prolonged war that could trigger major upheavals in global oil and natural gas markets.

Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi warned that oil prices could surge to as much as $150 per barrel in the coming weeks if tankers continue to be unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

As he stressed, such a development could “collapse the world’s economies.”

He also warned that if the crisis continues, most Gulf countries will be forced to declare a state of “force majeure” on their energy exports.

“Everyone who has not yet declared ‘force majeure’ will probably do so in the coming days if this situation continues,” he said, noting that oil exporters in the region are facing serious legal and commercial pressures.

At the same time, the Trump administration announced a $20 billion reinsurance program for oil tankers operating in the Persian Gulf, in an effort to restore navigation in the region. However, the measure failed to calm oil markets.

Disruptions in energy production are already becoming evident. According to Iraqi officials, Iraq has halted production of about 1.5 million barrels per day. Meanwhile, Kuwait has also begun reducing production as available storage capacity is running out.

Analysts estimate that the situation could worsen further if passage through the Strait of Hormuz is not restored soon. Natasha Kaneva, head of global commodities research at JPMorgan, noted that the market is now shifting from pricing geopolitical risk to dealing with real supply disruptions.

As she wrote in a briefing to the bank’s clients, production cuts could reach as much as 6 million barrels per day by the end of next week if the critical maritime passage remains closed.

JPMorgan also estimates that the United Arab Emirates will begin facing supply constraints in the coming days.

The consequences of the crisis are already being felt by consumers. The average price of regular gasoline in the United States rose by nearly 27 cents in one week, reaching $3.25 per gallon.

The war between the United States and Iran entered its seventh day on Friday. At a press conference on Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States “has just begun to fight.”

“Iran hopes that we cannot sustain this effort, which is a serious miscalculation,” he said.

This article originally appeared on ZeroHedge and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Tyler Durden

The Trump-ordered US-Israeli attack on Iran is continuing to create an array of ‘unknowns’ while steadily drawing in outside powers, with the most significant Friday development being The Washington Post reporting that Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US military assets in the Middle East, including warships and aircraft.

US officials described the effort as “a pretty comprehensive effort” by Moscow, though the accuracy of the intelligence remains unclear – the paper admits. What follows is the money quote:

“Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces in the Middle East, the first indication that another major US adversary is participating – even indirectly – in the war, according to three officials familiar with the intelligence.”

The report cites three officials familiar with the intelligence, who spoke about the support on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

“The targeting information has included the locations of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East, the officials said,” WaPo writes.

A couple of contextual issues: it remains that the ‘fog of war’ and propaganda is very heavy – and so such allegations especially from an ultra-heart-of-the-establishment D.C. beltway publication should be treated with caution and skepticism.

It is meant to keep pressure and scrutiny on Moscow at a moment the world’s attention is wholly fixated on the Iran theatre.

However, it also makes perfect sense that Moscow would support a remaining Middle East ally (after the fall of Assad in Syria), given that Russia and Iran signed a strategic partnership agreement earlier this year expanding military and defense cooperation. Despite that, Hegseth said earlier in the week that Russia is “not really a factor” in the conflict.

If the report is accurate, what might this look like on the ground? Here’s an example of the possible implications:

New investigations by CNN reveal that Iran successfully destroyed an advanced U.S. radar system located inside Jordanian territory.

According to CNN’s analysis of satellite imagery, the radar installation appears to have been completely destroyed. The investigation also indicates that buildings housing similar radar systems at two additional locations in the United Arab Emirates were reportedly targeted in separate attacks.

Above: this is over 500 miles from Iran.

Could the Iran war eventually emerge as the next ground zero Mideast proxy battleground between the US and Russia? It remains unlikely that Moscow will get involved too directly, given also it has a costly war with Ukraine to run; however, this alleged heightened intelligence sharing with Tehran points to a first step of sorts.

From the Kremlin’s point of view, Washington has already long been doing the same, and in a major way, in the context of the Ukraine proxy war.

Copyright 2026 ZeroHedge

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As the return to the Moon approaches with the upcoming Artemis II mission, one key question remains: what will future lunar explorers eat? According to new research from the University of Texas at Austin, the answer might be…chickpeas.

Lunar soil, scientifically known as lunar regolith, does not support healthy plant growth. It contains high concentrations of certain metals, such as aluminum and zinc, does not allow water to filter through easily, and lacks the microbiome found in Earth’s soils.

A scientific team managed to grow and harvest chickpeas using simulated lunar soil, a mixture that mimics the composition of samples brought back to Earth by astronauts from the Apollo missions. The research is presented in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.

The lead author, Sarah Santos, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, notes that the study is a major step forward in understanding how food could be produced on the Moon’s surface.

To create suitable growing conditions, the scientists added a natural organic fertilizer produced from the decomposition of organic materials through the action of earthworms (vermicompost). They also inoculated half of the samples with fungi. The fungi and chickpeas function symbiotically: the fungi absorb certain essential nutrients required for plant growth while also reducing the plants’ uptake of heavy metals.

The research team then planted chickpeas in mixtures of lunar soil and vermicompost in different ratios. The results showed that chickpeas could flower and produce seeds only in the samples treated with both vermicompost and fungi. Plants treated with fungi also had significantly greater shoot and root mass than untreated plants, indicating improved growth.

In addition, the researchers found that the fungi were able to colonize the simulated lunar material and survive, suggesting that under real conditions they would likely only need to be introduced once.

Although harvesting chickpeas marks an important milestone, it remains unclear whether they are tasty and safe to eat. Scientists still need to examine the plants’ nutritional value and determine whether they absorbed toxic metals during growth.

The research was initially funded by the researchers themselves and later supported by a NASA grant through the FINESST program. The scientific publication can be viewed here.

In a second article in the same journal, another research team led by the British Northumbria University investigated the growth conditions of microbes in simulated Martian soil. The research suggests that some microbes may be able to absorb enough water from the atmosphere to grow in simulated Martian soil at atmospheric humidity levels comparable to those on Earth.

This article originally appeared on ZeroHedge and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Tyler Durden

Update (1126ET):

Kuwait began cutting crude oil output after storage tank farms began filling up, as crude could no longer be loaded onto very large crude carriers and transported through the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Sources say the OPEC founding member is now weighing broader reductions in crude production and refining, potentially limiting operations to only domestic demand, with a decision expected within days.

UBS analyst Nana Antiedu noted that Brent crude futures climbed to $91/bbl after WSJ released the report.

WSJ noted:

Data provider Kpler said it has seen indications that Kuwait has started to cut production, adding that the country would have to cut more output in the coming days, as storage would otherwise fill up in around 12 days.

Shutting in an oil well risks long-term damage to reservoir pressure and incurs high restart costs, usually making it a measure of last resort. Restarting production can take days or even weeks depending on the reservoir.

“Storage is limited in the Middle East, and the only fix to avoid tanks running over is to curb production,” UBS commodity analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. “The longer the strait stays closed, the more barrels of crude and refined products will be missing, leading to higher prices.”

Earlier in the day, Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, told the FT that “Everybody who has not called for force majeure we expect will do so in the next few days if this continues. All exporters in the Gulf region will have to call a force majeure.”

Also, Iraq had already slashed oil production by half earlier this week, while Qatar shut gas liquefaction plants.

Brent crude futures surged above $91/bbl on Friday morning in New York.

Even if a resolution emerges in the near term, restarting crude fields, refineries, and export hubs would likely take at least a month, and possibly longer. This suggests that the risk of an energy shock is fast approaching.

* * *

Brent crude futures are on track for their biggest weekly gain since the early days of Covid, with the move now exceeding the 20% weekly spike at the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran, Operation Epic Fury, has tipped the Gulf into an energy crisis, freezing commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and pushing some regional oil and gas production offline.

On Friday, Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, told the Financial Times that the Gulf conflict could trigger a global economic shock, warning that continued fighting would force all Gulf energy exporters to halt output and could send Brent crude prices north of $150 a barrel.

“Everybody who has not called for force majeure we expect will do so in the next few days if this continues. All exporters in the Gulf region will have to call force majeure,” Kaabi explained. “If they don’t, they are at some point going to pay the liability for that legally, and that’s their choice.”

Qatar is the world’s second-largest producer of LNG and was forced to declare force majeure earlier this week after IRGC drone strikes on its Ras Laffan plant.

“This will bring down the economies of the world,” he warned. “If this war continues for a few weeks, GDP growth around the world will be impacted. Everybody’s energy price is going to go higher. There will be shortages of some products and there will be a chain reaction of factories that cannot supply.”

Kaabi continued, “We don’t yet know the extent of the damage, as it is currently still being assessed. It is not yet clear how long repairs will take.”

On Tuesday, we provided readers with the number of days of disruption needed in the Gulf area (the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint) to trigger actual panic, that is 25. Read the full report here.

And for Zerohedge Premium and Pro subs. JPMorgan crunched the math on Hormuz and revealed just how many days until chaos (report here).

Then, on Thursday, energy economist Anas Alhajji spoke with top UBS analysts on a webinar that also provided a timeline for energy market chaos and the risks of an impending economic shock.

“Our main scenario is that if this lasts four weeks, things will be completely out of control. And when I say out of control, I mean that even if China starts releasing oil from its inventories, the problem is that my guess is China would also restrict exports, which means that oil would remain in China. We were counting on that oil being in the market, and now it is not going to be in the market,” Alhajji said.

Alhajji outlined critical questions:

• Is the war about Iran’s nuclear program, or is something much larger at play, with Iran serving more as a trigger or for broader strategic objectives?

• The distinction matters significantly because the medium- and long-term outcomes would look very different.

• Should attention be focused narrowly on Iran’s nuclear program and regime change, or should the situation be analyzed within the much wider context of China, trade wars & tariffs, AI competition, Panama Canal, Red Sea, Venezuela, Syria, & Greenland?

• Are we observing “conflicts” within a larger “CONFLICT,” where some groups are opportunistically exploiting the situation to pursue their own “local” objectives?

As well as the problem:

• The problem now is attacks that spark panic buying while Saudi Arabia cannot react. Thus, U.S. SPR release is limited, and China might ban exports. Prices would go above $100 easily, but fear would contain demand growth, limiting the increase in oil prices. The impact on LNG and NGLs is higher than on oil.

• We cannot go back quickly to normal. It will take at least 2 months if the war stops tomorrow. (logistics and technical issues)

• Lack of international cooperation (Every country for itself)

In energy markets, Brent crude futures are up 21%, exceeding the 20% spike at the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, and are on track for their largest weekly gain since the first week of May 2020.

Back to 2024 highs.

There are no signs, at the moment, that the conflict is nearing an end. In fact, there are reports that IRGC forces just hit a US-owned oil tanker near Kuwait.

Goldman analysts earlier this week warned about $100/bbl crude oil prices. Disruptions across the Gulf have already sent diesel futures up 40% this week, while central banks are warning of a possible inflation spike.

Asia’s exposure to Gulf oil is concerning, but China’s exposure is even more alarming. This suggests that if the conflict persists, Beijing could be facing an incoming shock that risks morphing into a financial crisis.

Copyright 2026 ZeroHedge

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A man was arrested by police on Friday outside the Athens Police Headquarters (GADA) on Alexandras Avenue after threatening that he had explosives.

According to reports, he is a 48-year-old from Sudan and is possibly homeless and mentally ill.

He had a backpack on his back and was holding in his hands a grenade that looked real.

In a container he had two more objects that resembled grenades.

The man was asking for a phone in order to speak. Police officers distracted him and immobilized him.

Because of the incident, traffic had been stopped on Alexandras Avenue from Panormou in the direction toward Patision Street, and on Dimitsanas Street from the point where it meets Alexandras Avenue. Around 18:30 traffic was restored.