Ahead of the formal signing of the US-Iran peace deal on Friday, Brent crude futures briefly fell below $80 a barrel, as traders priced a quicker pace of supply flows that could normalize in the Gulf area as the Strait of Hormuz moves toward reopening.
That is welcome news on the US inflation front, with lower crude prices helping ease pressure across gasoline, diesel, freight, and other input costs. Back in the Gulf region, early maritime signals suggest commercial vessels are reversing course and heading toward the Hormuz maritime chokepoint in anticipation of a reopening.
Bloomberg reports that two tankers, the Suezmax Kapodistrias 21 and the VLCC Coslucky Lake, both switched destinations and made abrupt U-turns, heading toward major energy terminals in the Gulf.
Most shipowners remain very cautious about an interim peace deal to resolve the Hormuz disruption, but early movers are trying to capitalize on high freight rates while a risk premium remains attached to any Hormuz transit.
According to Kpler data, 60 supertankers are waiting near the Gulf of Oman, up from just 36 earlier this month. There are also 150 ballasting tankers in that area.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that QatarEnergy is preparing to restart LNG flows at the Laffan complex, which exported almost 20% of global supply last year, at 50% capacity within one month and about 80% within two months - well ahead of earlier timelines. Still, full capacity at the LNG facility could take several years to restore due to war-related damage.
UBS energy research analyst Henri Patricot provided clients with the latest Hormuz flows (up to Sunday):
Oil & gas tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, in number of ships entering and exiting the Gulf
Oil & gas tankers exiting the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, in number of ships
Oil & gas tankers entering the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, in number of ships
Estimated oil and gas flows exiting the Gulf, based on DWT, in Mboe/d
Oil and products transit via Strait of Hormuz by destination (Mb/d)
Weekly average crude loadings in the Middle East by port location (Mb/d)
Weekly average oil flows via Hormuz + unidentified exports from Gulf of Oman (Mb/d)
Iran's crude loadings by port (Mb/d)
If the formal signing of the US-Iran peace deal occurs on Friday, tanker throughput through the Hormuz chokepoint could surge as soon as next week, if not shortly after, as shipowners reposition tankers and energy flows begin normalizing through the world's most important maritime chokepoint. However, energy flow normalization will take many months.
Professional subscribers can read much more on the energy shock and Hormuz at our new Marketdesk.ai portal.
Tyler Durden Wed, 06/17/2026 - 13:40Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
American citizens who own vacant property parcels are being targeted by criminals in an identity theft scheme.
“Criminals create fake identifications (drivers licenses and/or U.S. passports), Outlook email addresses, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) generated phone numbers and use them to impersonate landowners,” the FBI said in a June 16 public service announcement alert.
An aerial view of single family homes in Miami, Fla., on Aug. 1, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe malicious actors “can obtain property parcel owner’s personally identifiable information through county or state public websites, data brokers, stolen account information, phishing schemes, or purchased from the dark web or hackers.”
The scammers approach a local realtor or title company while posing as a legitimate parcel owner and sell the properties, according to the FBI. In one instance, a fake deed was used to convince realtors of the sale’s validity.
Once the sale is done, the fraudsters ask for the sale money to be sent to an out-of-state attorney, who is also part of the scheme.
In an August 2024 statement, the American Land Title Association revealed the results of a study showing that 28 percent of title insurance companies experienced at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in 2023.
The study “also showed that seller impersonation fraud often is caught before the real estate closing is completed. Forty-six percent of companies said identifying and preventing fraudulent transactions before closing was at least somewhat common, compared with 26 percent after closing,” the association said.
The FBI said criminals posing as legitimate sellers in these schemes often communicate only via text, email, or VoIP numbers. They avoid direct meetings, citing excuses such as illness or personal emergencies.
Other signs of such fraud include the seller having limited knowledge of the property, lacking proper documentation, and pressuring to quickly close the sale.
People who plan on buying properties should send a certified letter to the address listed on the land tax record to verify the seller’s legitimacy, the agency said.
Title FraudThe National Association of Realtors (NAR) warned in an Oct. 22, 2025, statement that owners of vacant properties were at most risk of being targeted by real estate scammers.
Roughly six in 10 real estate experts said they saw instances of title fraud over the previous year. In title fraud, the scammer attempts to illegally transfer ownership or deed of the property. Only 12 percent of such title fraud cases in the previous year involved properties occupied by owners. An overwhelming 62 percent of fraud was related to vacant lands.
“Vacant parcels of land are a favorite target among title pirates because they are not occupied, and they are not usually closely monitored by their actual title owner, who may even be located out of state,” said attorney Victor Petrescu, partner at Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider + Grossman LLP, according to the NAR statement.
In April, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed SB 1479 into law, which aims to tackle the issue.
The legislation requires individuals who submit property deals in person to present valid photo identification. County assessors are required to offer a system that allows property owners to opt in to receive alerts when there are changes to ownership or mailing address, according to a House of Representatives document.
In a Feb. 11 statement, Arizona state Sen. Frank Carroll, who sponsored the bill, said: “When criminals are able to forge documents, record false claims, or quietly transfer property without the rightful owner’s knowledge, it erodes trust in our entire system.
“We are enhancing identity verification, increasing penalties for offenders, improving notification systems, and ensuring that no property changes hands without proper approval.”
Tyler Durden Wed, 06/17/2026 - 13:20