//The Wire//1900Z July 10, 2026//
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//BLUF: HORMUZ TRAFFIC SLOWS AS AIRSTRIKES CONTINUE IN IRAN OVERNIGHT. PRESIDENT TRUMP STATES THAT THE CEASEFIRE IS OFFICIALLY OVER. WIRED-GUIDED FPV DRONE DISCOVERED IN CARTEL WEAPONS CACHE IN MEXICO. RUSSIAN AFRICA CORPS CONTINUES CONFLICT IN MALI.//
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-International Events-
Middle East: Yesterday's targeting continued throughout the night, with dozens of targets being struck within Iran. Much of the targeting centered around the major port of Bushehr, with a SAM site being struck and the runway being cratered again last night.
Strait of Hormuz: This morning the UKMTO published a notice reaffirming their assurance that the southern Omani route remains open for use. Despite this assurance (and highlighting that sentence in red in their notice), most of the maritime community is no longer trusting this route at the moment due to Iranian targeting which kicked off the war again. No vessels transited either route overnight due to the targeting, however some ships attempted to make the crossing this morning.
Far East: This morning China imposed an export ban on Helium, effective immediately. The Ministry of Commerce stated that this decision was made to allow domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing facilities to maintain their supply of the gas, which is essential for the production of computer chips.
Analyst Comment: Most of the world's supply of Helium is produced as part of the process of refining natural gas in the Middle East. Since the war began, crude oil has not been the only concern, but also other distillates and byproducts such as jet fuel and helium. China halting exports is a substantial indicator of the severity of the current war. China has also been able to get more of their ships out of the Gulf than anybody else, so if even they are hurting for helium, this is not a good sign.
Africa: The conflict between Russian mercenaries and FLA militants has continued to escalate, with fierce fighting being reported in the vicinity of Anefis over the past few days. The Russian Africa Corps base in Anefis has been routinely targeted by FLA, with most of the attacks taking the form of ground skirmishes or drone attacks.
Mexico: During a counter-narco raid in Durango yesterday, Mexican forces located a fiber-optically controlled drone platform within a weapons cache in the Dolores del Río neighborhood. This drone was reportedly fitted with an explosive charge similar to that which has become more commonly used throughout the region for carrying out attacks between rival cartel factions.
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Analyst Comments: In the Middle East, yesterday evening contradictory reports circulated on social media regarding which nation actually carried out some of the strikes within Iran. Some reports claimed that the strikes in the afternoon were not conducted by the United States, but actually another nation. The most obvious culprit is Israel, but reports also claimed that the Kuwaitis also conducted attacks of their own last night as well. No matter who actually dropped the munitions, the effect is the same: the Iranians consider all attacks on their territory as originating from the same US-led coalition. What the Iranian response will be is unclear. Previously, they have been extremely forthcoming with the target list they would strike, if the US conducted more serious targeting within Iran. Desalination plants, energy production facilities, oil export terminals, and the aircraft at US bases in the region which are once again within Iranian missile range, are all likely targets if the Iranians so desire. Considering that President Trump announced that the ceasefire is officially off this afternoon (but that talks will continue) the next few days will be instrumental in determining if the war will return to it's full form, or if the attack-peace-attack cycle will continue.
Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269
Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report.
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