🚢 Strait of Hormuz traffic drops sharply amid regional escalation

Vessel activity in the Strait of Hormuz has shifted materially following recent US strikes on Iran and the subsequent regional escalation. According to real-time traffic analysis, transits through the chokepoint fell by approximately 70% after 16:00 UTC on 28 February, compared with levels 12 hours earlier.

MarineTraffic playback shows visible behavioural changes across the region over the past three days, including U-turns, idling, reduced speeds, and last-minute diversions, particularly after maritime security warnings were issued. Watch the playback of vessel activity in the Strait of Hormuz over the past three days.

🔗 Marine Traffic

🇮🇷⚔️🇺🇸🇮🇱🇧🇭🇶🇦🇦🇪🇸🇦🇰🇼 Iran fired 1200+ projectiles at five countries in the first 48 hours. Most were drones. These saturation attacks aim to overwhelm air defenses and drain interceptors. $20-50k Shahed drones vs. $4.19M PAC-3 interceptors put US and its partners on the wrong side of the cost curve.

🔗 Becca Wasser

🇶🇦🇦🇪🙏🇺🇸 Bloomberg: UAE and Qatar Urge Allies to Help Trump Find Off-Ramp on Iran

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are privately lobbying allies to help them persuade President Donald Trump to reach for an off-ramp that would keep US military operations against Iran short, according to people familiar with the matter.

The countries are seeking to build a wide coalition to advance a swift and diplomatic end to the conflict, the people said, in order to prevent regional escalation and a prolonged energy price shock. They were speaking on condition of anonymity discussing matters that have not been made public.

A Qatari assessment shared with Bloomberg News warned that if shipping lanes in the region remain severely disrupted by the middle of this week they would expect to see a more significant market reaction for natural gas prices than Monday’s sharp spike.

Privately, both the UAE and Qatar are working to quickly improve their air defense capabilities, the people familiar with the matter said. Officials at Qatar’s International Media Office and the UAE’s foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The UAE has requested assistance from its allies with medium-range air defense, while Qatar has asked for help to counter drone attacks — which have emerged as a greater threat than ballistic missiles — the people added. Qatar’s stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles will last four days at the current rate of use, according to an internal analysis seen by Bloomberg News.

📝: In 3 days Qatar and the UAE have exhausted their interceptor stocks and are seeking new ones to be delivered.

🔗 https://archive.ph/gNd7T

🇶🇦❗️ — Bloomberg went on to state that Qatar's missile supplies can last the country at most four more days of fighting at this level of intensity.

🇮🇱🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷 Satellite image of the port of Bandar Abbas show several plumes of smoke.

An oil tanker was struck and is burning while the smoke obscures several other ships that have been struck and possibly sunk.

@CIG_telegram

🇮🇷💸❗️ — Informed sources report to Iranian independent media that many major high-ranking officers of the Iranian Security Forces are selling their properties and assets and converting them into crypto (cryptocurrency) to be able to leave the country quickly by any means.

🇮🇷🤡❌🇸🇦🇮🇱 — Iranian State Media claims that they are not behind Ras Tanura Oil Refinery strikes, blaiming Israel for it instead:

Tasnim News Agency reports:

The attack on the Saudi Aramco refinery was carried out by Israel, and Iran did not strike any oil facilities in Saudi Arabia

🇦🇪🇷🇺🛬 — TASS reports that the first plane in almost three days arrived in Moscow from Abu Dhabi, TASS was informed by Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.

https://news.1rj.ru/str/tass_agency/363958

🇷🇺🇮🇷🇦🇿 — TASS, quoting APA Agency, reports that 114 Russians were evacuated from Iran across the border with Azerbaijan

https://news.1rj.ru/str/tass_agency/363951

🇮🇱❌🇮🇷🇷🇺 — Russia's RT claims that Israeli airstrikes hit close to its headquarters in Tehran, obliterating the building close to it:

'My office is destroyed after the Israeli regime attack

You can hear the sound of gas… I should leave this building'