Hormuz Crisis Tracker — 2026-07-25 · Cycle 1 (C231)

War Day: 148 | Blockade Day: 12 (Jul-14 20:00 GMT → Jul-25) | Ceasefire: 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 IRAN REJECTION HOLDS + IRAN FM ARAGHCHI FRAMES US APPROACH AS "IRRATIONAL, EXCESSIVE, HEGEMONIC" per JPost + Times of Israel + Al Quds + Shafaq + ANI + i24 — Iran ceasefire-rejection of Iraqi-PM-Al-Zaidi-carried Trump 15-point proposal CARRIES; state-media dispute of "rejection" framing ("diversionary and misleading" per IRIB) INTRODUCES NARRATIVE-COUNTER-VECTOR | 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 TRUMP "WEIGHS MASSIVE ATTACK" per Time + Axios Jul-24: "I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it"; "they haven't received enough pain yet" — TIER-UP escalation-rhetoric from C230 "more of the same" | 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 BRENT LOSES $100 HANDLE AT FRI CLOSE — Bloomberg + Fortune report Brent settled near $97 (biggest one-day drop since late June, -~4% Fri) despite Fri intraday $99.59-$101.16 range per Investing.com; still UP ~12-14% for week per Bloomberg + Al Jazeera | 🔴🔴🔴🔴 IRAN HEALTH MINISTRY: 55 KILLED / 629 INJURED (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Times of Israel Jul-25 — UP from 53/592 C230 baseline (+2 killed / +37 wounded); US/Israeli estimates 6,000+ deaths CARRIES; broader wounded range 15,000-26,500 | 🔴🔴🔴🔴 15-POINT CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL DETAIL CONFIRMED per CNN + Time Jul-24 — Iran rejected 15-point US proposal (not 10-day framing per prior) | 🔴🔴🔴 US 13TH-NIGHT CARRIES — CENTCOM 13th-consecutive-night Jul-23 9pm ET; NO INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION OF 14TH-NIGHT AS OF Sat-Jul-25-evening; CENTCOM disclosure tally VARIES 9 vessels (Marine Log) vs 12 vessels (Breitbart + Middle East Eye) redirected — resolve pending | 🔴🔴🔴 CPC (CASPIAN PIPELINE CONSORTIUM) SUSPENSION Jul-19-21 CARRIES — 1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia Novorossiisk exports threatened per S&P Global + Bloomberg + ZeroHedge — PERIPHERAL-CHOKEPOINT ACTIVATION beyond Hormuz + Bab-el-Mandeb (not previously logged in baseline) | 🔴🔴 HORMUZ TRANSIT CARRIES from C230 — USNI Jul-24 baseline: 3 vessels/24h Thu (Miraan/Norita/Maha Yaya); 78 total transits Jul 13→Sun vs 174 prior week (-55%); no Sat updated figure | 🟡 IRGC KUWAIT + JORDAN MULTI-BASE STRIKES CARRIES — Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry confirms power-generation + water-desalination plant struck causing fire + electricity disruption (Jul-16-onset wave per ABC + Al Jazeera + Wikipedia 2026-Kuwait-International-Airport-drone-strikes); CENTCOM CONFIRMS 2 US KIA + 4 WOUNDED + 1 MISSING in Jordan strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS (Jul-16 onset per multiple; discrepancy from C230 baseline "not confirmed"); GCC characterizes as "war crime + highly dangerous escalation" | 🟡 CHINESE COSCO XIN LONG YANG + COSNEW LAKE BAB-EL-MANDEB SUCCESSFUL EXIT CARRIES from C229-C230 (4M bbls Saudi Yanbu crude, "apparent permission" per SCMP + Bloomberg + Marine Link + FMT + gCaptain + Gulf News) | 🟡 K-C 12-MO DEAL — 2 days to Jul-27 Sunday expiry (down from 3 days C230) | 🟡 BAB-EL-MANDEB HULL 0.5%-1% + JIZAN/AL SHUQAIQ 3% CARRIES (Insurance Journal + Xinhua + All About Shipping); Hormuz 5% new-norm CARRIES | 🟢 NO FRESH COMMERCIAL-TANKER ATTACK C230→C231 ~24h WINDOW | 🔴 NO FRESH SPR RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT — SPR 319.48M mb / ~56% empty CARRIES; FOURTH consecutive cycle | 🔴 NO FRESH OPEC+ EMERGENCY SESSION | Cycle: C231 (Sat-Jul-25-evening, ~24h delta from C230 Fri-evening)

Grok bridge: NO — Apple Notes MCP timed out on Grok_outputs folder query (same pattern as C229-C230, third consecutive cycle). Full 13-topic web sweep executed (14 targeted queries + follow-ups on ceasefire-rejection narrative dispute + Brent Fri-close + CPC + Kuwait/Jordan casualty confirmation).

Baseline: C230 / 2026-07-24 Fri-evening (IRAN-REJECTS-TRUMP-TEMPORARY-CEASEFIRE + US-13TH-NIGHT + TRUMP-"MORE-OF-SAME" + BRENT-$100+-REGIME + HORMUZ-3-VESSELS/24H-FLOOR + CHINESE-COSCO-BAB-EL-MANDEB-BREACH + IRGC-KUWAIT-JORDAN-CARRIES + K-C-3-DAYS-TO-EXPIRY).

PROVENANCE NOTE (Scout desktop, 2026-07-25 C231 Sat-evening, ~24h delta from C230 Fri-evening): C231 is a rejection-persistence + Trump-tier-up + Brent-loses-$100-close + narrative-counter-vector + peripheral-chokepoint-visibility cycle. Where C230 delivered the initial Iran ceasefire-rejection framing and Trump's "more of the same," C231 delivers five principal signatures. First, the rejection HOLDS but its narrative is contested: Iran FM Araghchi tells state media (IRIB) the US approach is "irrational, excessive, hegemonic" — verbal reinforcement of the rejection posture — but Tehran also disputes the "rejection" framing itself, with IRIB characterizing reports of formal rejection as "diversionary and misleading" (per Alquds), and the Iraqi PM's office reportedly disputing the specific rejection framing as "unfounded" (per prior cycle web-searched reporting). The net is: the substantive Iran position (no temporary deal without Hormuz resolution) is confirmed via multiple sources including JPost + Times of Israel + i24 + Shafaq + ANI, but the diplomatic-optics layer is now bifurcated (Iran holds substance while denying the "rejection" characterization to preserve deniability). Second, Trump escalates rhetorically from C230 "more of the same" to C231 "weighs massive attack" per Time + Axios — "I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it" and "they haven't received enough pain yet"; this is a rhetorical TIER-UP with active deliberation on a larger strike. Third, Brent loses the $100 handle at Friday's close — Bloomberg + Fortune report the front-month settled near $97, its biggest one-day drop since late June (~-4% Fri), despite Investing.com showing $99.59-$101.16 Fri intraday range and Al Jazeera + Rigzone reporting Brent "hovered above $100 on Friday" earlier in the session. Sat-Sun-Mon-Asia-open outlook now shifts to $94-$102 baseline (down from C230 $98-$106). WTI slipped toward $89 Fri close. Weekly gains remain ~12-14% (Brent) and ~10% (WTI) — the war-premium regime endures at the weekly frame even as the $100 psychological handle lost intraday-to-close. Fourth, the 15-point ceasefire proposal detail is confirmed per CNN + Time — the Iraqi-PM-carried US proposal was structurally more substantive than the "10-day framework" framing from C229-C230, comprising 15 discrete points; Iran's substantive objection remains Strait control. Fifth, the CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) suspension is visible at C231 — Jul-19-21 drone attacks on ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA tankers at Novorossiisk halted ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia oil exports per S&P Global + Bloomberg + ZeroHedge + Cryptobriefing; this peripheral-chokepoint activation was not previously logged in C225-C230 baselines and represents a third-chokepoint tail-risk crystallizing beyond Hormuz + Bab-el-Mandeb (albeit attributed by Kremlin to Ukrainian action, not Iran-nexus — Kremlin says Ukraine's CPC strike "aims to destabilize global oil markets"). Sixth, the Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry confirms a power-generation + water-desalination plant was struck with fire and electricity disruption (traced to Jul-16 onset wave per ABC + Al Jazeera + Wikipedia 2026-Kuwait-International-Airport-drone-strikes + The National), and CENTCOM confirms 2 US KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing in Jordan strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS (Jul-16 onset) — resolving the C229-C230 open item that "CENTCOM has NOT confirmed" casualty claims into partial-confirmation (the Jul-16 wave, not necessarily the Jul-23 Thu wave). Seventh, Iran Health Ministry raises casualty count to 55 killed / 629 injured (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Times of Israel Jul-25 — up from 53/592 C230 baseline (+2 killed / +37 wounded), consistent with 13-consecutive-night tempo. Structural locks: Lock-1 (Price) SOFTENS AT DAILY-CLOSE (Brent loses $100 handle Fri close) but HOLDS WEEKLY at ~12-14% gain; Lock-2 (Supply) HOLDS at 3-vessels/24h floor CARRIES; Lock-3 (Insurance) HOLDS at Bab-el-Mandeb 0.5%-1% hull + Hormuz 5% CARRIES; Lock-5 (Duration) TIGHTENS FURTHER via Trump-"massive-attack"-consideration + Iran-rejection-substance-CARRIES; Lock-7 (Geographic) HOLDS DEEPER via Kuwait-power-plant-strike-confirmation + Jordan-2KIA-CENTCOM-confirmation; Lock-9 (Dual Chokepoint) HOLDS BIFURCATED + CPC-third-chokepoint-visibility-BROADENS; Lock-10 (Leadership) HOLDS AT COUNTER-DOCTRINE via Araghchi + narrative-counter-vector. Critical 0-24h to Sun-Jul-26-evening + 0-48h to Jul-27 K-C expiry: (a) Whether US executes verbatim "massive attack" bridge/power-plant strike per Trump-Time-Axios rhetoric TIER-UP; (b) Whether 14th-consecutive-night US strikes announced (Sat Jul-25 9pm ET slot); (c) Whether Iran executes Mousavi verbatim host-country power-station retaliation; (d) Whether K-C 12-mo deal signed before Jul-27 Sunday expiry (2 days remaining Sat-evening); (e) Whether Iran clarifies narrative-counter-vector formally (state-media reiteration vs. Guardian-Council formalization); (f) Whether new Saudi-Red-Sea commercial-tanker attack C232; (g) Whether Iran Guardian Council enactment of Hormuz Strategic Action Plan bill; (h) Whether OPEC+ convenes emergency session; (i) Whether Sun/Mon Brent Asia-open reclaims $100 or retreats to $92-$97 zone; (j) Whether SPR fresh release triggered by fourth consecutive $100+ cycle (weekly frame); (k) Whether Netanyahu third strike executed within week; (l) Whether CPC loadings resume or CPC-attack-tempo continues via Ukraine-nexus; (m) Whether QatarEnergy FM extends beyond end-August; (n) Whether Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi revised-terms return to Tehran; (o) Whether Chinese Cosco selective-permission architecture repeats via additional Cosco-fleet Bab-el-Mandeb transits.

⚡ CRITICAL FLAGS THIS CYCLE (C230 → C231 DELTAS)

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 TRUMP "WEIGHS MASSIVE ATTACK" per Time + Axios Jul-24 — "I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it"; "they haven't received enough pain yet"; TIER-UP from C230 "more of the same." Lock-5 (Duration) TIGHTENS FURTHER via active-deliberation-on-larger-strike.

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 BRENT LOSES $100 HANDLE AT FRI CLOSE — Bloomberg + Fortune Jul-24: Brent settled near $97 (biggest one-day drop since late June, -~4% Fri) despite Investing.com Fri intraday range $99.59-$101.16 + Al Jazeera + Rigzone "hovered above $100 on Friday"; WTI slipped toward $89 Fri close. Weekly gains hold ~12-14% Brent + ~10% WTI; war-premium regime intact at weekly frame. Sat/Sun-close + Mon-Asia-open baseline shifts to $94-$102 (down from C230 $98-$106). Lock-1 (Price) SOFTENS AT DAILY-CLOSE, HOLDS WEEKLY.

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 IRAN NARRATIVE-COUNTER-VECTOR — REJECTION-SUBSTANCE-HOLDS + REJECTION-CHARACTERIZATION-DISPUTED per Alquds + Iran-state-media (IRIB): Iran FM Araghchi tells state media US approach is "irrational, excessive, hegemonic" (verbal reinforcement of rejection posture); but IRIB characterizes reports of "formal rejection" as "diversionary and misleading" and Iraqi PM office reportedly disputes rejection framing as "unfounded." Net: Iran holds substantive position (no temporary deal without Strait resolution) while disputing "rejection" narrative to preserve mediation deniability. Lock-10 (Leadership) HOLDS AT COUNTER-DOCTRINE with narrative bifurcation.

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 IRAN HEALTH MINISTRY: 55 KILLED / 629 INJURED (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Times of Israel Jul-25 — UP from 53/592 C230 baseline (+2 killed / +37 wounded); US/Israeli estimates 6,000+ deaths CARRIES; broader Iran wounded range 15,000-26,500 (Iranian Health Ministry) vs 15,000+ (US/Israeli).

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 15-POINT CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL STRUCTURE CONFIRMED per CNN + Time Jul-24 — the Iraqi-PM-Al-Zaidi carried US proposal was structurally 15 discrete points (revised understanding from C229-C230 "10-day framework" framing); Iran substantive objection remains Strait control.

• 🔴🔴🔴 CPC (CASPIAN PIPELINE CONSORTIUM) SUSPENSION Jul-19-21 CARRIES per S&P Global + Bloomberg + ZeroHedge + Cryptobriefing — drone attacks on ASIA + NISSOS IOS Jul-19 + NELSA Jul-20 at Novorossiisk halted ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia oil exports; peripheral third-chokepoint activation not previously logged in C225-C230 baselines. Attribution: Kremlin says Ukraine's CPC strike "aims to destabilize global oil markets" — not Iran-nexus per current reporting. Nonetheless structural amplifier of oil supply constraint beyond Hormuz + Bab-el-Mandeb.

• 🔴🔴🔴 CENTCOM CONFIRMS 2 US KIA + 4 WOUNDED + 1 MISSING in Jordan strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS (Jul-16 onset wave; Wikipedia 2026-Iranian-strikes-on-Kuwait + 2026-Iranian-strikes-on-Bahrain); Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry confirms power-generation + water-desalination plant struck with fire + electricity disruption. Resolves C229-C230 open item "CENTCOM has NOT confirmed" — partial confirmation via the Jul-16 wave (not necessarily the Jul-23 Thu wave). GCC characterizes as "war crime + highly dangerous escalation."

• 🔴🔴🔴 US 13TH-NIGHT CARRIES from C230 (CENTCOM Jul-23 9pm ET completion); NO INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION OF 14TH-NIGHT AS OF Sat-Jul-25-evening; CENTCOM disclosure enforcement-tally VARIES 9 vessels (Marine Log Jul-23-24) vs 12 vessels (Breitbart + Middle East Eye) redirected + 1 disabled — reconciliation pending. Both figures below 15+ threshold for continuous-week enforcement.

• 🟡 CHINESE COSCO XIN LONG YANG + COSNEW LAKE BAB-EL-MANDEB SUCCESSFUL EXIT CARRIES from C229-C230 — Bloomberg + SCMP + OilPrice + Marine Link + Aaj English + Free Malaysia Today + Arabian Post + Newsweek + Gulf News + gCaptain confirm 4M bbls Saudi Yanbu crude combined; "apparent permission" per SCMP; both chartered by Unipec (Sinopec arm); Xin Long Yang made U-turn Tue mid-Red-Sea, resumed Wed-late, exited Thu; destination Huizhou (Guangdong).

• 🟡 K-C 12-MO DEAL — 2 DAYS TO JUL-27 SUNDAY EXPIRY (down from 3 days C230) — signing expected within days per PGJ + The National + Türkiye Today + Turkish Minute; Iraq requesting 4-fold capacity increase per Daily Sabah. No signing announcement C231 Sat.

• 🟡 BAB-EL-MANDEB HULL 0.5%-1% + JIZAN/AL SHUQAIQ 3% CARRIES — Insurance Journal + Xinhua + All About Shipping + Irregular Warfare Journal + GlobalSecurity + Chubb: premiums for Bab al-Mandab up from 0.3% pre-blockade to 0.5%-1%; southern-Saudi Red Sea ports Jizan/Al Shuqaiq quoted at 3%; Hormuz 5% new-norm (4x five-year average per Chubb + Weforum); no P&I re-entry.

• 🟢 NO FRESH COMMERCIAL-TANKER ATTACK C230→C231 ~24h WINDOW — Encelia (Jul-22 Houthi claim, all crew safe per TGA) + Layla (Jul-23 Houthi claim, damage UNVERIFIED, carrying under own power per Marine Link) + 3-Hormuz-southern-corridor-tankers Jul-22 CARRIES; Chinese Cosco successful transit CARRIES; no new intra-Sat commercial-tanker strike reported.

• 🔴 NO FRESH SPR RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT C231 — FOURTH CONSECUTIVE CYCLE despite (a) $100+ Brent regime holding through Fri intraday + (b) 13-consecutive-night US strikes + (c) Iran ceasefire-rejection substance + (d) CPC peripheral disruption. SPR 319.48M mb week-ending Jul-3 per EIA CARRIES; ~56% empty per Rigzone CARRIES; lowest since April 1983 per The Hill CARRIES.

• 🔴 NO FRESH OPEC+ EMERGENCY SESSION C231 despite $100+-weekly-frame regime holding through fourth consecutive cycle; IEA July 2026 Oil Market Report notes market disconnect between well-supplied crude + tight product markets, refinery margins at four-year highs; OPEC+ Jul-6 +188K bpd Aug output raise CARRIES.

• 🟡 BUSHEHR SATELLITE DAMAGE CARRIES from C229-C230 — Al Jazeera + Times of Israel + UN News + IAEA event reports confirm strikes Jul 7-12 per Sentinel-2 comparison; Grossi "maximum restraint" language CARRIES; earlier incidents Mar-17/24/27 + Apr-4; no fresh IAEA visit C231.

• 🟡 NETANYAHU THIRD-STRIKE READINESS CARRIES from C229-C230 — Outlook India + Fox News + Hill + Times of Israel + Vanguard + Planet Today + Shafaq confirm Netanyahu declared Israel prepared to launch third military operation; Defense Minister Katz Jul-9 same posture; no fresh Israeli-initiated kinetic C231.

• 🟡 QATARENERGY FORCE MAJEURE EXTENDED TO END-AUGUST CARRIES from C229-C230 — extends into early-September per Adriatic LNG terminal cargo cancellations (21 cargoes = 2.7 bcm cumulative); 17% Qatar LNG capacity offline up to 5 years per AGBI + Yahoo Finance + CNBC + Energynews.pro + Riviera; $20B/yr revenue loss per QatarEnergy estimate.

• 🟡 NO FRESH IAEA-BUSHEHR VISIT C231 — Grossi "reddest line" language CARRIES; independent-assessment gap CARRIES.

• 🟡 NO FRESH PHILIPPINES/ASIAN-EMERGENCY DECLARATION C231 — Marcos EO 4-day workweek CARRIES (Mar-9 baseline); 45-day fuel-runway CARRIES per ABC; India Jun-12 200-L HSD limit LIFTED Jul-1 per Petroleum Ministry per ITLN.

• 🟡 NO FRESH IRAN GUARDIAN COUNCIL SIGNING C231 — Hormuz Strategic Action Plan bill introduced Jul-14 per PressTV + Arab News + Middle East Eye + Al Jazeera CARRIES; final decision rests with Supreme National Security Council per US Congress CRS CARRIES.

• 🔴 SHAMKHANI NETWORK OFAC EXPANSION Jul-14 CARRIES — 50+ individuals/companies/vessels linked to Shamkhani sanctioned per Steptoe + Enerdata + Mondaq + Treasury sb0472; targets UAE + Singapore + Hong Kong + India jurisdictions; builds on Apr-15 + Jul-30-2025 designations.

1. Conflict Status

War Day 148 / Ceasefire STATUS HOLDS-REJECTION-C230 WITH NARRATIVE-BIFURCATION-C231: Iran FM Araghchi tells state media US approach "irrational, excessive, hegemonic" — verbal reinforcement of substantive rejection; IRIB characterizes "rejection" framing as "diversionary and misleading"; Iraqi PM office reportedly disputes rejection characterization as "unfounded." Net: Iran holds substantive position (no temporary deal without Hormuz resolution) while disputing "rejection" narrative to preserve mediation deniability. Trump escalates rhetorically from C230 "more of the same" to C231 "close to making a decision" on "massive attack" ("haven't received enough pain yet"). Blockade Day 12 rollover. War cost $37.5B per Hegseth-Trump CARRIES. C230 → C231 (~24h delta Fri-evening → Sat-evening): TRUMP-"MASSIVE-ATTACK"-CONSIDERATION + BRENT-LOSES-$100-CLOSE + IRAN-NARRATIVE-COUNTER-VECTOR + IRAN-HEALTH-MINISTRY-55/629 + 15-POINT-PROPOSAL-CONFIRMED + CPC-VISIBILITY + KUWAIT-POWER-PLANT-CONFIRMATION + JORDAN-2KIA-CENTCOM-CONFIRMED + K-C-2-DAYS-TO-EXPIRY.

Cross-leg status (C231 deltas only — CARRIES not enumerated where unchanged):

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran-US direct-leg — US 13th-night CARRIES; no independent confirmation of 14th-night as of Sat-evening; Trump escalates rhetorically to "massive attack" active-deliberation; CENTCOM enforcement-tally variance (9 vs 12 vessels) pending reconciliation
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran-US blockade-leg — Day-12 rollover; enforcement-tally 9-12 commercial vessels redirected + 1 disabled since Jul-14; 3-vessels/24h Hormuz floor CARRIES from USNI Thu-baseline
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran-US commerce-leg — Iran rejection substance HOLDS ("irrational, excessive, hegemonic" per Araghchi); Iran narrative-counter-vector INTRODUCED (IRIB "diversionary and misleading" framing); Iraqi PM office reportedly disputes rejection characterization; 15-point proposal structure confirmed
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 Qatar — QatarEnergy FM extended to end-Aug CARRIES + early-September Adriatic LNG cargo cancellations CARRIES; 4-mediator lineup CARRIES; proposal-reception disputed
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Saudi — Encelia + Layla CARRIES (Layla damage UNVERIFIED under-own-power); Chinese Cosco Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake successful Bab-el-Mandeb exit CARRIES; SAMREF Yanbu Jul-19 drone-strike damage-under-assessment CARRIES per Wikipedia 2026-Aramco-refinery-attack + Azernews + House of Saud
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Yemen/Red Sea/Bab-el-Mandeb-leg — Houthi selective-permission architecture CARRIES; hull 0.5%-1% + Jizan 3% CARRIES; no fresh Saudi-Red-Sea commercial-tanker attack C231
• 🔴🔴🔴 Nuclear-tier — Bushehr Sentinel-2 damage CARRIES; IAEA-no-visit CARRIES; Grossi "reddest line" CARRIES
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 Israel-influence-tier — Netanyahu third-strike-readiness CARRIES; Trump admin closely coordinated CARRIES per Fox News; no fresh Israeli-initiated kinetic C231
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Diplomatic/mediation-tier — Iran rejection SUBSTANCE HOLDS + NARRATIVE-BIFURCATED-C231; Trump "close to making a decision" active-deliberation; 4-mediator lineup Pakistan/Qatar/Turkey/Egypt intact; Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi active carrier (with narrative-dispute wrinkle)
• 🔴🔴🔴 India — Q1-FY27 crude-import-bill +60% YoY CARRIES; Jun-12 200-L HSD limit LIFTED Jul-1 per ITLN CARRIES; Cape-diversion economics deepen CARRIES
• 🔴🔴🔴 China — Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake successful Bab-el-Mandeb exit CARRIES; selective-permission architecture verified — Houthis grant China-tanker "apparent permission" per SCMP
• 🟡 Japan/Korea — 200/208-day reserves CARRIES; Saudi Red Sea loadings continue CARRIES; Japan releasing emergency reserve CARRIES; Korea nationwide energy-saving campaign CARRIES
• 🔴🔴 Kazakhstan/Russia (NEW-C231-VISIBILITY) — CPC Jul-19-21 disruption threatens ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia Novorossiisk exports; Ukraine-nexus per Kremlin; peripheral-chokepoint-visibility broadens

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Trump "close to making a decision" on "massive attack"; "they haven't received enough pain yet" per Time + Axios Jul-24
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Brent loses $100 handle at Fri close (settled near $97 per Bloomberg + Fortune; -~4% Fri, biggest one-day drop since late June); weekly gain ~12-14% CARRIES
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran rejection SUBSTANCE HOLDS + NARRATIVE-BIFURCATION introduced (IRIB "diversionary and misleading" + Iraqi PM office "unfounded")
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran FM Araghchi to IRIB: US approach "irrational, excessive, hegemonic"
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran Health Ministry: 55 killed / 629 injured (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Times of Israel Jul-25 (+2 / +37 vs C230)
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 15-point ceasefire proposal detail confirmed per CNN + Time
• 🔴🔴🔴 CPC Jul-19-21 peripheral-chokepoint visibility per S&P Global + Bloomberg + ZeroHedge — ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia threat
• 🔴🔴🔴 CENTCOM confirms 2 US KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing Jordan strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS (Jul-16 onset wave)
• 🔴🔴🔴 Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry: power/desalination plant strike + fire + electricity disruption confirmed
• 🔴🔴 CENTCOM enforcement-tally variance 9 vs 12 vessels — reconciliation pending
• 🟡 K-C 12-mo deal — 2 days to Jul-27 Sunday expiry (down from 3)
• 🟢 No independent confirmation of US 14th-consecutive-night as of Sat-Jul-25-evening
• 🟢 No fresh commercial-tanker attack C230→C231 ~24h window
• 🟢 No fresh Israeli-initiated kinetic C231
• 🔴 No fresh SPR release announcement C231 — fourth consecutive cycle
• 🔴 No fresh OPEC+ emergency session C231

• Iran civilian dead: 55 killed / 629 injured (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Iran Health Ministry per Times of Israel Jul-25 (+2 killed / +37 wounded vs C230); 3,468 Foundation-of-Martyrs + 3,636 HRANA + up to 6,000+ US/Israeli estimates CARRIES; broader wounded range 15,000-26,500 (Iranian) vs 15,000+ (US/Israeli)
• US KIA/wounded: 2 KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing in Jordan Jul-16 strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS + CENTCOM-confirmation — resolves C229-C230 "not confirmed" for Jul-16 wave (not necessarily Jul-23 Thu wave); baseline 13 KIA / 365+ wounded per MilitarySpend.org CARRIES; 4th service member identified Jul-17 per CBS CARRIES
• Iran displaced: ~3M IDPs CARRIES; Lebanon +1M IDPs CARRIES per Al Jazeera Mar-26
• Lebanon: 4,000+ killed per Lebanese Health Ministry CARRIES
• Israel: 57 killed CARRIES per MilitarySpend.org
• Total war deaths: 8,971–18,305 killed all-sides per MilitarySpend.org (range CARRIES); 46,965 injured
• Encelia crew: all reported safe CARRIES
• Layla crew status: PENDING independent-confirmation CARRIES
• 3-Hormuz-southern-corridor tankers Jul-22: casualties PENDING CARRIES
• Israeli-front: no new Israeli-initiated kinetic C231
• All other categories CARRY C230 baseline

2. Strait of Hormuz — Operational Status

3. Tanker Attack Log (cumulative — C231 additions only)

C231 additions: No new commercial-tanker attacks in the ~24h intra-day window Fri-evening → Sat-evening. Encelia + Layla + 3-Hormuz-southern-corridor tankers CARRY. CPC ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA drone attacks Jul-19-21 backfilled from earlier baseline gap — attributed to Ukraine-nexus per Kremlin, not Iran-nexus; not previously logged; adds to structural supply-disruption picture.

• No new commercial-tanker strikes reported in the ~24h intra-day C230→C231 window (Fri-evening → Sat-evening)
• Layla independent damage assessment still pending as of C231 evening — KEY 0-24h WATCH ITEM remains open into C232
• Marine Link confirms Layla "has continued sailing under its own power" CARRIES — evidence of no critical propulsion damage
• Chinese Cosco Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake successful transit CARRIES
• Encelia crew safe reconfirmation CARRIES via TGA + SPA
• CPC Novorossiisk peripheral-chokepoint disruption backfilled — Jul-19-21 drone attacks on ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA tankers halted ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia oil exports per S&P Global + Bloomberg + BOE Report + ZeroHedge; Kazakh government publicly asked Ukraine to stop attacks per Marketscreener

• 🔴 = Attack on neutral state infrastructure (Saudi-flagged Encelia + Layla) CARRIES
• 🟢 = Successful commercial-transit-breach logged for completeness (Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake) CARRIES
• 🔴 = BACKFILL — CPC Novorossiisk (Ukraine-nexus per Kremlin, not Iran-nexus) — peripheral-chokepoint dimension
• No new IRGC friendly-fire incidents C231

4. Oil Prices

Analyst forecasts / geopolitical statements C230 → C231 NEW:

• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Trump Jul-24 (Time + Axios): "I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it"; "they haven't received enough pain yet" — active-deliberation on "massive attack"
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran FM Araghchi Jul-24 (Alquds via IRIB): US approach "irrational, excessive, hegemonic"; "natural" for Al-Zaidi to convey "views and perceptions" from Washington
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 IRIB (state media) Jul-24 (via Alquds): characterizes "rejection" framing as "diversionary and misleading" — narrative-counter-vector
• 🔴🔴🔴🔴 CNN + Time Jul-24: 15-point US ceasefire proposal detail confirmed (not 10-day framework per prior)
• 🔴🔴🔴 Bloomberg + Fortune Jul-24: Brent settled near $97 Fri close (~-4% Fri, biggest one-day drop since late June)
• 🔴🔴🔴 S&P Global + Bloomberg + BOE Report + ZeroHedge Jul-19-21: CPC Novorossiisk suspension after ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA drone attacks; ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia threat
• 🔴🔴 Iran Health Ministry via Times of Israel Jul-25: 55 killed / 629 injured (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27
• 🔴🔴 ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS: CENTCOM confirms 2 US KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing in Jordan Jul-16 strike; Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry confirms power/desalination plant strike + fire

5. Strategic Petroleum Reserves

C231 status:

6. Bypass Infrastructure

Combined Hormuz + Bab-el-Mandeb + CPC structural threat (C231): Bab-el-Mandeb commercial-attack-tier CARRIES from C229 with insurance-tier at 0.5%-1% hull per Insurance Journal + Xinhua + All About Shipping, southern-Saudi-Red-Sea Jizan/Al Shuqaiq quoted at 3%. Chinese Cosco Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake successful exit CARRIES — state-linked shadow/Chinese tanker operations proceed with "apparent permission" per SCMP; private/insured commercial tonnage diverts to Cape. Saudi Yanbu outbound crude flow still moves via China-selective-permission lane. NEW C231 dimension: CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) Novorossiisk terminal suspended Jul-19-21 after drone attacks on ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA — ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia oil exports threatened per S&P + Bloomberg + BOE + ZeroHedge; attributed to Ukraine per Kremlin. Combined structural supply-threat now spans three distinct chokepoint theaters (Hormuz + Bab-el-Mandeb + Novorossiisk) with ~17%+ global oil supply exposure with selective-permission-bifurcation as structural feature and Ukraine-nexus expansion of chokepoint-attack template as new C231 signal.

7. Maritime Insurance

8. Shadow Fleet

C230 → C231 additions: No new IRGC friendly-fire incidents C231. No new tanker-seizure enforcement action confirmed C231 window (~24h). OFAC Shamkhani 50+ July sanctions CARRIES from C225-baseline (Jul-14 expansion per Steptoe + Enerdata + Mondaq + Treasury sb0472). OFAC Jul-15 sanctions on 7 IRGC weapons-procurement individuals/entities in Iran/Nigeria/Italy/Russia per EO 13382 CARRIES per Steptoe. Chinese Cosco Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake successful Bab-el-Mandeb exit CARRIES. Iran oil exports fell >90% in May per Newsweek CARRIES. Operation Southern Spear + Aquila-II CARRIES with 10+ tanker seizures since Dec-2025 per state.gov + FDD. OFAC targeting ~40 shipping firms and vessels per Treasury sb0472 CARRIES. Windward/Middle East Institute framing CARRIES: 62% of ~430 Iranian-trade tankers falsely flagged; 87% sanctioned. NEW C231 dimension: CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) Novorossiisk drone-attack tempo (ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA Jul-19-21) opens a Ukraine-nexus commercial-vessel targeting template in parallel with the Iran-Yemen-nexus Hormuz + Bab-el-Mandeb complex — first time both nexuses simultaneously produce chokepoint-terminal drone-attack activity. Whether this converges into a common enforcement/insurance-response architecture is a C232+ watch item.

9. Country Response Matrix (C231 deltas only)

10. Policy Actions

Cycle-specific additions (C230 → C231, ~24h delta Fri-evening → Sat-evening):

11. Key Metrics Dashboard (C231 deltas only)

12. Convergence Assessment

(a) What Changed This Cycle (C230 → C231, ~24h delta Fri-evening → Sat-evening)

1. TRUMP "WEIGHS MASSIVE ATTACK" per Time + Axios Jul-24 — "I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it"; "they haven't received enough pain yet." TIER-UP from C230 "more of the same" to C231 active-deliberation on larger strike. Lock-5 (Duration) TIGHTENS FURTHER; Lock-11 (Energy Infrastructure) elevates via renewed bridge/power-plant threat.

1. BRENT LOSES $100 HANDLE AT FRI CLOSE — Bloomberg + Fortune: Brent settled near $97 Fri close (biggest one-day drop since late June, -~4% Fri) despite Investing.com Fri intraday range $99.59-$101.16 + Al Jazeera + Rigzone "hovered above $100 on Friday." WTI slipped toward $89 Fri close. Weekly gains hold ~12-14% (Brent) + ~10% (WTI) — war-premium regime endures at weekly frame even as $100 psychological handle lost daily-close. Lock-1 (Price) SOFTENS AT DAILY-CLOSE, HOLDS WEEKLY.

1. IRAN NARRATIVE-COUNTER-VECTOR — REJECTION-SUBSTANCE-HOLDS + REJECTION-CHARACTERIZATION-DISPUTED per Alquds + IRIB: Iran FM Araghchi tells IRIB US approach is "irrational, excessive, hegemonic" (verbal reinforcement of rejection posture); but IRIB characterizes reports of "formal rejection" as "diversionary and misleading" and Iraqi PM office reportedly disputes "rejection" framing as "unfounded." Net: Iran holds substantive position while disputing "rejection" narrative to preserve mediation deniability. Lock-10 (Leadership) HOLDS AT COUNTER-DOCTRINE with narrative bifurcation.

1. IRAN HEALTH MINISTRY: 55 KILLED / 629 INJURED (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Times of Israel Jul-25 — UP from 53/592 C230 baseline (+2 killed / +37 wounded); consistent with 13-consecutive-night tempo.

1. 15-POINT CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL STRUCTURE CONFIRMED per CNN + Time Jul-24 — Iraqi-PM-Al-Zaidi carried US proposal was structurally 15 discrete points (revised understanding from C229-C230 "10-day framework" framing); Iran substantive objection remains Strait control.

1. CPC (CASPIAN PIPELINE CONSORTIUM) NOVOROSSIISK PERIPHERAL-CHOKEPOINT SUSPENSION Jul-19-21 backfilled C231-VISIBILITY per S&P Global + Bloomberg + BOE Report + ZeroHedge + Cryptobriefing — drone attacks on ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA tankers halted ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia oil exports; Kremlin: Ukraine-nexus (not Iran-nexus). Peripheral third-chokepoint activation not previously logged in C225-C230 baselines; structural amplifier of oil supply constraint beyond Hormuz + Bab-el-Mandeb.

1. CENTCOM CONFIRMS 2 US KIA + 4 WOUNDED + 1 MISSING IN JORDAN Jul-16 STRIKE per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS — resolves C229-C230 open item "CENTCOM has NOT confirmed casualty claims" for the Jul-16 onset wave (not necessarily the Jul-23 Thu wave); 4th service member identified Jul-17 per CBS.

1. KUWAIT ELECTRICITY/WATER MINISTRY CONFIRMS POWER/DESALINATION PLANT STRUCK with fire + electricity supply disruption per Al Jazeera + The National + Wikipedia 2026-Kuwait-International-Airport-drone-strikes — traces to Jul-16 onset wave; GCC characterizes as "war crime + highly dangerous escalation."

1. US 13TH-NIGHT CARRIES from Jul-23 9pm ET; NO INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION OF 14TH-NIGHT AS OF Sat-Jul-25-evening; CENTCOM enforcement-tally VARIES 9 vessels (Marine Log) vs 12 vessels (Breitbart + Middle East Eye) — reconciliation pending.

1. NO FRESH COMMERCIAL-TANKER ATTACK C230→C231 ~24h WINDOW — Encelia + Layla (damage still UNVERIFIED) + 3-Hormuz-southern-corridor CARRY.

1. NO FRESH SPR RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT C231 — FOURTH CONSECUTIVE CYCLE; ~$97 Brent Fri close may DELAY political-optics announcement threshold if Sat/Sun/Mon $94-$100 range materializes.

1. NO FRESH OPEC+ EMERGENCY SESSION C231 — IEA July 2026 Oil Market Report notes market disconnect between well-supplied crude + tight product markets; OPEC+ Jul-6 +188K bpd Aug output raise CARRIES.

1. K-C 12-MO DEAL — 2 DAYS TO JUL-27 SUNDAY EXPIRY (down from 3 days C230) — signing expected within days per PGJ + The National + Türkiye Today; Iraq requesting 4-fold capacity increase per Daily Sabah.

1. NO FRESH ISRAELI-INITIATED KINETIC C231 — Netanyahu third-strike-readiness CARRIES per Outlook India + Fox News + Hill + Times of Israel + Vanguard + Planet Today + Shafaq.

(b) Structural Locks Status (C231)

• Lock 1 (Price): 🔴🔴🔴🔴 SOFTENS AT DAILY-CLOSE, HOLDS WEEKLY-C231 — Brent settled near $97 Fri close (loses $100 handle, biggest one-day drop since late June) but weekly gain ~12-14% HOLDS; WTI $89 Fri close, weekly ~10% HOLDS. Change vs C230: TIGHTEST-EVER $100+ regime softens to daily-close-below-$100 within C230 baseline expectation floor; tail-risk still intact for Sun/Mon Asia-open reclaim.

• Lock 2 (Supply): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS DEEPEST-C231 — Hormuz 3-vessels/24h floor CARRIES per USNI + GlobalSecurity; Lloyd's List -55% Jul 13→Sun vs prior week; Iran continues to strike southern-route ships per USNI Jul-24.

• Lock 3 (Insurance): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS DEEPER-C231 — Bab-el-Mandeb 0.5%-1% hull CARRIES per Insurance Journal + Xinhua + All About Shipping + GlobalSecurity; Jizan/Al Shuqaiq 3% sub-tier CARRIES; Hormuz 5% new-norm CARRIES (4x five-year average per Chubb + Weforum + Irregular Warfare Journal); no P&I re-entry through FOURTH consecutive cycle post-Encelia-Layla. NEW-C231 dimension: CPC/Novorossiisk premium re-assessment activating for Black Sea loading.

• Lock 4 (Labor): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS TIGHTEST-CARRIES — fixture-cancellation stress CARRIES; ships refusing US-military-guided transit scheme CARRIES; Chinese Cosco operates against grain via selective-permission architecture CARRIES.

• Lock 5 (Duration): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 TIGHTENS FURTHER-C231 — Trump "close to making a decision" on "massive attack" per Time + Axios; "they haven't received enough pain yet"; Iran rejection SUBSTANCE HOLDS via Araghchi "irrational, excessive, hegemonic"; 13th-night US strikes Jul-23 CARRIES + 14th-night pending; mediation-window narrows further from C230 "rejected" to C231 "rejected + actively-considering-massive-attack."

• Lock 6 (Nuclear): 🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS-CARRIES — Bushehr Sentinel-2 damage CARRIES; IAEA no-visit CARRIES; Mousavi host-country-power-station threat CARRIES.

• Lock 7 (Geographic): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS DEEPER-C231 — Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry CONFIRMS power/desalination plant strike + fire per Al Jazeera + The National + Wikipedia; CENTCOM CONFIRMS 2 US KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing Jul-16 Jordan strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS; Bahrain-target-wave CARRIES; Larak-inside-Strait CARRIES. Jul-16 wave now attribution-and-casualty-confirmed (Jul-23 Thu wave still awaits CENTCOM detail).

• Lock 8 (Capability): 🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS-CARRIES — Houthi Encelia precision + Layla claim (damage UNVERIFIED) CARRIES; IRGC multi-base wave-continuation CARRIES; Iran corridor-enforcement CARRIES.

• Lock 9 (Dual/Triple Chokepoint): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS BIFURCATED + BROADENS-C231 — Chinese Cosco Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake successful Bab-el-Mandeb exit CARRIES with 4M bbls Saudi crude — selective-permission architecture CARRIES at commercial-transit tier; hull 0.5%-1%-tier CARRIES; commercial-attack-tier CARRIES via Encelia + Layla; UAE MOFA condemnation CARRIES. NEW C231 dimension: CPC/Novorossiisk peripheral-chokepoint suspension Jul-19-21 broadens chokepoint-attack template to Ukraine-nexus (not Iran-nexus per Kremlin) — first time Iran-Yemen-nexus + Ukraine-nexus simultaneously producing chokepoint-terminal drone-attack activity.

• Lock 10 (Leadership): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS AT COUNTER-DOCTRINE + NARRATIVE-BIFURCATED-C231 — Iran rejection SUBSTANCE HOLDS via Araghchi (US approach "irrational, excessive, hegemonic"); IRIB introduces narrative-counter-vector ("diversionary and misleading" characterization of "rejection" framing); Iraqi PM office reportedly disputes rejection characterization as "unfounded"; Trump "close to making a decision" hardens US posture; UAE Arab-League axis CARRIES; Iran counter-ultimatum architecture (Mousavi + Qalibaf + Baghaei) OPERATIONALIZED CARRIES via Kuwait + Jordan multi-base strikes (Jul-16 wave now CENTCOM-confirmed).

• Lock 11 (Energy Infrastructure): 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 HOLDS TIGHTEST-CARRIES — QatarEnergy FM to end-August + early-September Adriatic cargo cancellations CARRIES; 17% Qatar LNG capacity offline up-to-5-years; $20B/yr revenue loss; Mousavi verbatim host-country-power-station retaliation threat CARRIES; SAMREF Yanbu drone-strike damage-under-assessment CARRIES; Trump "massive attack" close-to-decision elevates renewed bridge/power-plant strike risk; Kuwait power/desalination plant strike CONFIRMED-C231.

(c) Critical Watch (0-24h to Sun-Jul-26-evening + 0-48h to Jul-27 K-C expiry)

1. Whether US executes verbatim "massive attack" bridge/power-plant strike per Trump-Time-Axios "close to making a decision"
2. Whether 14th-consecutive-night US strikes announced Sat-Jul-25 9pm ET slot
3. Whether Iran executes Mousavi verbatim counter-strike on US-host-country power station (Bahrain/Kuwait/Qatar/UAE/Jordan/Iraq)
4. K-C 12-mo signing before Jul-27 Sunday expiry (2 days remaining Sat-evening)
5. Whether Iran clarifies narrative-counter-vector formally (state-media reiteration vs Guardian-Council formalization vs walked-back into direct-negotiation-return)
6. Whether Sun/Mon Brent Asia-open reclaims $100 or retreats to $92-$97 zone (Fri close ~$97)
7. Whether Trump admin formally rescinds 15-point proposal in response to Iran rejection-substance
8. US CENTCOM confirmation/denial of Iran Jul-23 Thu-strike casualties (distinct from Jul-16 wave now confirmed)
9. Whether new Saudi-Red-Sea commercial-tanker attack
10. Whether SPR fresh release triggered by fourth consecutive weekly-frame Brent gain-cycle
11. OPEC+ emergency session — no confirmed C231
12. Whether Netanyahu third strike executed within week
13. BIMCO / IMO / Lloyd's Bab-el-Mandeb-commercial-attack-tier advisory formalization
14. Whether Aramco Yanbu-adjacent facility strike per Houthi target-broadening
15. Iran Guardian Council enactment of Hormuz Strategic Action Plan bill
16. India MEA cabinet response to +60% Q1-FY27 crude import bill
17. Whether US-Navy Red Sea escort deployment activated in response to Encelia
18. Whether IAEA visits Bushehr (independent-assessment gap)
19. Whether Cape-diversion converts to systemic tanker-fleet rerouting under Chinese-Cosco-defiance counter-vector
20. Whether Arab-League follow-on condemnations of Encelia (post-UAE)
21. Whether US retail gas $4.20-$4.50 breach
22. Whether QatarEnergy FM extends beyond end-August into September (early-September Adriatic cargo cancellations CARRIES)
23. Whether Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi returns to Tehran with revised 15-point terms
24. Sun/Mon Brent Asia-open vs Fri-close ~$97 range
25. Whether Layla damage independently confirmed
26. Whether CPC/Novorossiisk loadings resume or Ukraine-nexus drone-attack tempo continues
27. CENTCOM enforcement-tally reconciliation (9 vs 12 vessels)
28. Whether Chinese Cosco selective-permission architecture repeats via additional Cosco-fleet transits
29. Whether GCC or Arab League convenes emergency session on IRGC-Kuwait/Jordan/Bahrain casualties
30. Whether Kazakhstan issues formal supply-diversion timeline

(d) Net Assessment

C231 is a rejection-persistence + Trump-tier-up + Brent-loses-$100-close + narrative-counter-vector + peripheral-chokepoint-visibility cycle, transitioning from C230's counter-doctrine-formalization to C231's counter-doctrine + narrative-bifurcation + US-active-deliberation-on-massive-attack. Where C230 delivered the initial Iran ceasefire-rejection framing and Trump's "more of the same" rhetorical posture, C231 delivers six principal signatures on a ~24h Fri-evening → Sat-evening delta.

First, Iran's rejection substance HOLDS while the rejection characterization is disputed. FM Araghchi tells state media IRIB that the US approach is "irrational, excessive, hegemonic" — a verbal reinforcement of the substantive rejection posture — but IRIB simultaneously characterizes reports of "formal rejection" as "diversionary and misleading" and Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi's office reportedly disputes the "rejection" framing as "unfounded." The net is that Iran holds its substantive position (no temporary deal without Strait resolution) while disputing the "rejection" narrative itself, preserving mediation deniability. This is a subtle but important architectural move: the substance freezes but the diplomatic-optics layer opens narrative-latency space for later negotiated re-engagement without a formal walk-back cost. Second, Trump escalates rhetorically from C230 "more of the same" to C231 "weighs massive attack" per Time + Axios — "I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it" and "they haven't received enough pain yet" — a TIER-UP with active deliberation on a larger strike. Third, Brent loses the $100 handle at Friday's close per Bloomberg + Fortune, settling near $97 (~-4% Fri, biggest one-day drop since late June) despite Investing.com Fri intraday $99.59-$101.16 range and Al Jazeera + Rigzone reporting Brent "hovered above $100 on Friday" earlier in the session. WTI slipped toward $89 Fri close. Weekly gains hold ~12-14% (Brent) + ~10% (WTI) — the war-premium regime endures at the weekly frame even as the $100 psychological handle lost daily-close. Fourth, the 15-point ceasefire proposal detail is confirmed per CNN + Time — the Iraqi-PM-carried US proposal was structurally more substantive than the "10-day framework" framing from C229-C230, comprising 15 discrete points; Iran's substantive objection remains Strait control. Fifth, the CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) Novorossiisk peripheral-chokepoint suspension becomes visible at C231 — Jul-19-21 drone attacks on ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA tankers halted ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia oil exports per S&P Global + Bloomberg + BOE Report + ZeroHedge + Cryptobriefing; this peripheral third-chokepoint activation was not previously logged in C225-C230 baselines. Kremlin attributes to Ukraine (not Iran-nexus), but the structural amplifier of oil supply constraint is real, and this represents the first time Iran-Yemen-nexus + Ukraine-nexus simultaneously produce chokepoint-terminal drone-attack activity. Sixth, the Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry confirms a power-generation + water-desalination plant was struck with fire and electricity disruption (traced to the Jul-16 onset wave), and CENTCOM confirms 2 US KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing in the Jordan Jul-16 strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS — resolving the C229-C230 open item that "CENTCOM has NOT confirmed" casualty claims into partial confirmation for the Jul-16 wave (the Jul-23 Thu wave still awaits CENTCOM detail). Iran Health Ministry raises the count to 55 killed / 629 injured (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Times of Israel Jul-25 — +2 killed / +37 wounded vs C230 — consistent with 13-consecutive-night tempo.

Structural locks aggregate holds at 1 loosening / 1 softening-at-daily-close (Lock-1) / 0 holding-flat / 9 tightening from C225-C230 through C231, but the architecture deepens meaningfully in the leadership, geographic, and chokepoint tiers. Lock-1 (Price) softens at the daily-close for the first time since Jul-21 while weekly-frame gains hold. Lock-5 (Duration) tightens further via Trump-"massive-attack"-active-deliberation. Lock-7 (Geographic) holds deeper via Kuwait/Jordan CENTCOM-confirmations. Lock-9 (Chokepoint) broadens via CPC peripheral-visibility. Lock-10 (Leadership) holds at counter-doctrine + narrative-bifurcation. Lock-11 (Energy Infrastructure) holds tightest with renewed bridge/power-plant threat from Trump. Counter-vectors are conditional: while the 4-mediator lineup Pakistan/Qatar/Turkey/Egypt remains intact and Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi retains active proposal-carrier status (with dispute wrinkle), the Iran-side reception is substantively rejected with narrative-latency; K-C 12-mo pipeline deal remains in "final stage" with 2 days to Sunday expiry; no fresh commercial-tanker attack C231; no fresh Israeli-initiated kinetic C231; no independent 14th-night US-strikes confirmation as of Sat-evening. Yet the mediation window narrows against US active-deliberation on larger strike and Iran's Araghchi characterization of the US approach as "irrational, excessive, hegemonic."

Where the system heads absent intervention: baseline Sun/Mon-Asia-open Brent expectation $94-$102 given (a) 🔴 Iran-rejection-substance-holds + Trump-"massive-attack"-active-deliberation + US-13th-night + Hormuz-3-vessels/24h-floor + Chinese-Cosco-selective-permission-breach CARRIES + Bab-el-Mandeb-0.5%-1%-hull CARRIES + Jizan-3% CARRIES + CPC-peripheral-visibility; (b) 🟢 Fri close ~$97 reset + Iran-narrative-counter-vector (deniability-window) + no-fresh-commercial-tanker-attack-C231 + no-fresh-Israeli-strike-C231 + 4-mediator-lineup-intact + K-C-2-days-signing + no-independent-14th-night-confirmation-yet. Upside $102-$115 tail if Trump executes verbatim "massive attack" bridge/power-plant strike OR 14th-consecutive-night confirmed with target-broadening OR Iran executes Mousavi verbatim host-country power-station strike OR fresh Saudi-Red-Sea commercial-tanker attack OR Aramco Yanbu facility strike OR Netanyahu third-strike executed OR CPC-attack-tempo escalates via Ukraine-nexus continuation OR OPEC+-emergency-cancelled OR Iran-Guardian-Council-enacts-Hormuz-bill. Downside $88-$94 requires Iran clarifies narrative-walkback to explicit-negotiation-return OR Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi Tehran-revised-terms return with substantive-concession OR Houthi-blockade-rescinded OR K-C-signed OR Iran-corridor-enforcement-lifted OR CPC-loadings-resume simultaneously. Key uncertainties: (1) whether Iran narrative-counter-vector is diplomatic-latency-preservation or terminal-substance-lock; (2) whether Trump executes verbatim "massive attack" or the rhetoric operates as pressure-signal; (3) whether US 14th-night materializes; (4) whether Iran executes Mousavi verbatim host-country retaliation; (5) K-C signing before Jul-27 Sunday; (6) US CENTCOM detail on Jul-23 Thu-strike casualties (distinct from Jul-16 confirmed); (7) whether Netanyahu executes third strike within week; (8) whether OPEC+ convenes emergency session; (9) whether SPR fresh release announcement follows fourth consecutive weekly-frame Brent gain-cycle now that daily-close-below-$100 introduces political-optics latency; (10) whether Chinese-Cosco selective-permission-breach converts to systemic Chinese-lane structural feature; (11) BIMCO/IMO/Lloyd's Bab-el-Mandeb-formal-advisory; (12) IAEA-Bushehr independent-assessment path; (13) whether QatarEnergy FM extends further into September; (14) whether Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi returns to Tehran with revised 15-point terms; (15) whether Layla damage independently confirmed; (16) whether CPC loadings resume or Ukraine-nexus drone-attack tempo continues; (17) CENTCOM enforcement-tally reconciliation (9 vs 12 vessels).

Cycle 231 report prepared by Scout desktop (Claude Cowork) 2026-07-25 Sat-evening (~24h delta from C230 Fri-evening). Grok bridge: NO (Apple Notes MCP timed out on Grok_outputs folder query, third consecutive cycle same pattern as C229-C230). Full 13-topic targeted web sweep executed (14 primary queries + follow-ups on Iran narrative-counter-vector + Trump massive-attack rhetoric + Brent Fri close + CPC visibility + Kuwait/Jordan CENTCOM confirmation + Iran Health Ministry casualty update). Delta window C230 → C231 ~24h Fri-evening → Sat-evening. Sources: Britannica 2026-Iran-war + CNBC + Axios + Al Jazeera + NBC News + newsonair + AOL + Fox News (Iran ceasefire history + Trump Hormuz + Iran ceasefire rejection) + CENTCOM Official Public Releases + war.gov + One America News + Marine Log + Breitbart + Middle East Eye + Israel National News + Tribune India + ANI News + Arab Times + Red Lake Nation + PJ Media + Globalsecurity Iran War 2026 Daily Update (US 13th-consecutive-night + CENTCOM enforcement-tally 9-12 vessels + no independent 14th-night confirmation) + Al Jazeera + Bloomberg + Fortune + CNBC + Tradingeconomics + Investing.com + Al Jazeera + Rigzone + Washington Post + Yahoo Finance + FXLeaders + Barchart (Brent Fri close ~$97 + WTI ~$89 + Brent Fri intraday $99.59-$101.16 + weekly gain ~12-14% Brent + ~10% WTI) + Wikipedia 2026-Strait-of-Hormuz-crisis + USNI News + GlobalSecurity + Statista + Lloyd's List Intelligence + straits.live (Hormuz 3-vessels/24h + 78 total transits Jul 13→Sun vs 174 prior week + Iran southern route strikes) + Spectrum Local News + CNBC + Washington Times + Al Jazeera + Wikipedia Attacks-on-Eternity-C + Gulf News + YouTube (Houthi Encelia + Layla claims + Trump "major military punishment" threat) + Energy.gov + Congress.gov CRS + Treasury press releases + Mineral Rights Podcast + Gallego Senate SPR letter (US SPR 172M + 319.48M mb week-ending Jul-3 + ~56% empty + lowest since April 1983) + Zawya + Discovery Alert + Türkiye Today + AGBI + Turkish Minute + Energies Media + Pipeline Technology Journal + Oil and Gas Advancement + TradingView (K-C 2-days-to-Jul-27-expiry + Bayraktar "final stage" + Iraq 4-fold capacity increase request) + ABC News + Al Jazeera + Wikipedia 2026-Iranian-strikes-on-Kuwait + Wikipedia 2026-Iranian-strikes-on-Bahrain + Wikipedia 2026-Kuwait-International-Airport-drone-strikes + Pentagon + CBS News + The National (CENTCOM 2 KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing Jordan Jul-16 wave + Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry power/desalination plant strike + 4th service member Jul-17 + Iran-3-countries strike wave + GCC "war crime" characterization) + Shafaq + Outlook India + Fox News + Planet Today + Times of Israel + Vanguard + The Hill + Substack + Newsonair (Netanyahu third-strike-readiness + Defense Minister Katz Jul-9 + Trump "I call the shots") + IEA July 2026 Oil Market Report + CNBC + Marketscreener + AllAfrica + Gulf News (OPEC+ Jul-6 +188K bpd Aug + market disconnect + refinery margins four-year highs + OPEC surplus signals 2027) + Energynews.pro + AGBI + Riviera + Daily The Destination + The National + OilPrice + CNBC + Yahoo Finance + Newsonair + Gulf News (QatarEnergy FM end-August + early-September Adriatic + 17% capacity offline 5-years + $20B/yr revenue loss + 12.8 million tonnes/yr + March 18-19 Ras Laffan strikes) + Al Jazeera + Cnpp.iaea.org + The Hill + UN News + Bulletin of Atomic Scientists + IAEA-Twitter + World Nuclear News + Newsonair (Bushehr Sentinel-2 damage July 7-12 strikes + Grossi "maximum restraint" + Mar-17/24/27 + Apr-4 incidents) + All About Shipping + IndexBox + Al Jazeera + Irregular Warfare Journal + GlobalSecurity + Xinhua + Chubb (Hormuz 5% + Bab-el-Mandeb 0.5%-1% + Jizan/Al Shuqaiq 3% + Chubb war-risk coverage) + Zapyaa + OilPrice + Business Today + EY India + Discovery Alert (India Q1-FY27 +60% + HSD-200L limit lifted Jul-1 + 85% import dependence + 40%/60%/90% Middle East proportion) + Inquirer + Philstar + PCO + GMA News + Gulf News + Mexc (Philippines Marcos EO 4-day workweek Mar-9 + agency energy conservation) + PressTV + Arab News + Middle East Eye + Al Jazeera + Outlook India (Iran Hormuz Strategic Action Plan bill Jul-14 + Parliament introduction + Azizi announcement) + Bloomberg + SCMP + OilPrice + Marine Link + Gulf News + gCaptain + Al Jazeera (Chinese Cosco Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake 4M bbls Saudi Yanbu crude + Bab-el-Mandeb successful transit + "apparent permission" per SCMP + Unipec-Sinopec charter) + LegalClarity + Time (Trump "close to making a decision" "massive attack" + "haven't received enough pain yet" + Axios Jul-24) + House of Saud + Azernews + Anadolu Agency + Wikipedia 2026-Aramco-refinery-attack + Arab News + Facebook Doha News (SAMREF Yanbu Jul-19 drone strike + damage under assessment + Shahed drone + 400,000 bpd + 50-50 Aramco-Exxon JV + April 3 prior strike) + JPost + i24news + Times of Israel + Shafaq + ANI News + New Kerala + Alquds + Newsonair (Iran rejects US 15-point ceasefire proposal via Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi + FM Araghchi "irrational, excessive, hegemonic" + IRIB "diversionary and misleading" + Iraqi PM office "unfounded" dispute + Times of Israel liveblog + Iran state media response) + Cryptobriefing + S&P Global + Energy Connects + Bloomberg + BOE Report + ZeroHedge + Marketscreener (CPC Caspian Pipeline Consortium Novorossiisk suspension after drone attacks on ASIA + NISSOS IOS + NELSA Jul-19-21 + ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia threat + Kremlin Ukraine-nexus attribution + Kazakhstan public request to Ukraine to stop) + CNN + Time + Enerdata + Steptoe + Mondaq + Treasury sb0472 + State Department + The Hill + Euronews + GlobalSecurity (OFAC Shamkhani 50+ Jul-14 network expansion + 40 shipping firms + IRGC 7 weapons-procurement + OFAC UAE/Singapore/HK/India jurisdictions + shadow fleet architecture + 62% falsely flagged / 87% sanctioned Windward) + Times of Israel liveblog (Iran Health Ministry 55 killed / 629 injured / 36 hospitalized since Jun 27 + up from 53/592 C230 baseline) + Military Spend + Wikipedia Casualties-Twelve-Day-War + Wikipedia Casualties-2026-Iran-war + IranWarLive (Iran 3,468 Foundation + 3,636 HRANA + up to 6,000+ + Lebanon 4,000+ + Israel 57 + US 13 KIA / 365+ wounded + Israel 57 + total 8,971-18,305 range + Iran 26,500 wounded range).

C231 (Sat-Jul-25-evening, ~24h delta from C230 Fri-evening) is a rejection-persistence + Trump-tier-up + Brent-loses-$100-close + narrative-counter-vector + peripheral-chokepoint-visibility cycle, transitioning from C230's counter-doctrine-formalization to C231's counter-doctrine + narrative-bifurcation + US-active-deliberation-on-massive-attack. Key intra-day-Fri-evening → Sat-evening events: (a) 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Trump "weighs massive attack" per Time + Axios Jul-24 — "I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it"; "they haven't received enough pain yet" — TIER-UP from C230 "more of the same"; (b) 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Brent loses $100 handle at Fri close per Bloomberg + Fortune — settled near $97 (biggest one-day drop since late June, -~4% Fri) despite Investing.com Fri intraday $99.59-$101.16 range; weekly gain ~12-14% HOLDS; WTI slipped toward $89; (c) 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran narrative-counter-vector per Alquds + IRIB — FM Araghchi: US approach "irrational, excessive, hegemonic"; IRIB: "rejection" framing "diversionary and misleading"; Iraqi PM office: "unfounded"; substantive rejection HOLDS while diplomatic-optics layer INTRODUCED deniability-window; (d) 🔴🔴🔴🔴 15-point ceasefire proposal structure confirmed per CNN + Time (not 10-day per prior framing); (e) 🔴🔴🔴🔴 Iran Health Ministry: 55 killed / 629 injured (36 hospitalized) since Jun 27 per Times of Israel Jul-25 (+2/+37 vs C230); (f) 🔴🔴🔴 CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) Novorossiisk peripheral-chokepoint suspension Jul-19-21 backfilled C231-VISIBILITY per S&P + Bloomberg + BOE + ZeroHedge — ~1.5 mb/d Kazakhstan/Russia halted; Kremlin: Ukraine-nexus; first time Iran-Yemen-nexus + Ukraine-nexus simultaneously producing chokepoint-terminal drone-attack activity; (g) 🔴🔴🔴 CENTCOM confirms 2 US KIA + 4 wounded + 1 missing Jul-16 Jordan strike per ABC + Al Jazeera + CBS — resolves C229-C230 "not confirmed" for Jul-16 wave (not necessarily Jul-23 Thu wave); Kuwait Electricity/Water Ministry confirms power/desalination plant strike + fire per Al Jazeera + The National + Wikipedia; (h) 🔴🔴🔴 US 13th-night CARRIES from Jul-23 9pm ET; NO INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION OF 14TH-NIGHT AS OF Sat-Jul-25-evening; CENTCOM enforcement-tally VARIES 9 vessels (Marine Log) vs 12 vessels (Breitbart + Middle East Eye) redirected + 1 disabled — reconciliation pending; (i) 🟡 Chinese Cosco Xin Long Yang + Cosnew Lake successful Bab-el-Mandeb exit CARRIES from C229-C230 with 4M bbls Saudi Yanbu crude; (j) 🟡 K-C 12-mo deal — 2 days to Jul-27 Sunday expiry (down from 3 days C230); (k) 🟡 Bab-el-Mandeb 0.5%-1% hull + Jizan/Al Shuqaiq 3% CARRIES; (l) 🟢 No fresh commercial-tanker attack C230→C231 ~24h window; (m) 🟢 No fresh Israeli-initiated kinetic C231; (n) 🔴 No fresh SPR release announcement C231 — fourth consecutive cycle; (o) 🔴 No fresh OPEC+ emergency session C231. Brent Sun/Mon-Asia-open outlook $94-$102 baseline (down from C230 $98-$106 given Fri close reset to ~$97); upside $102-$115 tail if Trump executes verbatim "massive attack" OR 14th-consecutive-night confirmed with target-broadening OR Iran executes Mousavi verbatim host-country strike OR fresh Saudi-Red-Sea attack OR Aramco Yanbu strike OR Netanyahu third-strike executed OR CPC-attack-tempo escalates OR Iran-Guardian-Council-enacts-Hormuz-bill OR OPEC+-emergency-cancelled. Structural locks aggregate HOLDS at (1L / 1S / 0H / 9T) with LOCK-1 (Price) exhibiting first daily-close softening since Jul-21 while weekly-frame gains HOLD; LOCK-5 (Duration) TIGHTENS FURTHER via Trump-"massive-attack"-active-deliberation; LOCK-7 (Geographic) HOLDS DEEPER via Kuwait/Jordan CENTCOM-confirmations; LOCK-9 (Chokepoint) BROADENS via CPC peripheral-visibility (triple-chokepoint architecture emerging); LOCK-10 (Leadership) HOLDS AT COUNTER-DOCTRINE + NARRATIVE-BIFURCATION. C231 REJECTION-PERSISTENCE + TRUMP-TIER-UP + NARRATIVE-BIFURCATION + TRIPLE-CHOKEPOINT-VISIBILITY CYCLE.