WS #11613

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is ESCALATING sharply. The U.S. Treasury has revoked the general license authorizing Iranian oil sales, and the U.S. official stated Iran's actions are 'wholly unacceptable' and will be met with consequences. Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on its tanker and holds Iran fully responsible. Qatar also blames Iran for hitting its LNG vessel. Oil futures extended gains, with Brent and WTI up more than 3%. This is a major escalation from the previous window's tanker attacks, now drawing direct U.S. retaliation threats and broad Gulf condemnation. The oil supply disruption narrative is intensifying, with no counter-signals. Separately, Meta launched Muse Image and Muse video generation, a positive catalyst for META, corroborated by multiple sources. This counters the broader tech selloff narrative. A large dark pool trade in AMAT ($165.59M) and MSFT ($196.51M) suggests institutional interest. The Fed rate hike narrative is gaining traction, with markets pricing in hikes by September. The dominant theme is the Strait of Hormuz escalation, which is ESCALATING.