Signal Archive
Every weekly briefing since launch. Every probability shift documented. Every prediction timestamped and verifiable. This is the track record.
SIGNAL #005
17 April 2026 · Week 8
The Dual Blockade
Day ~48. Reload ended without deal. Trump's US Hormuz blockade announcement overlays Iran's rial-denominated yuan toll on the same waterway — two opposing rent regimes, same chokepoint, simultaneous.
- Dual-blockade superposition — Trump announces US Hormuz blockade over Iran's rial-denominated toll — Trump announces a US blockade of Hormuz on Apr 12 while Iran runs the rial-denominated yuan toll on the same waterway (toll switch from dollars to rials registered Apr 10).
- Three carrier strike groups in CENTCOM AOR — first since 2003 Iraq — USS Bush CSG confirmed transatlantic to the Indian Ocean; third CSG now on station in CENTCOM AOR.
- War Powers Resolution to limit hostilities fails 213–214 — legal envelope by one vote — 213 members voted to constrain the executive; 214 did not.
Frag 53%Chao 27%US M 12%Dipl 8%
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SIGNAL #004
08 April 2026 · Week 7
The Reload
Day 40. Ceasefire holding on the US-Iran track, fracturing on Lebanon. Force generation continues inside the 15-day pause window. Both sides are repositioning, not negotiating.
- Three carriers + 6 B-2s + MOP strike package generating inside the ceasefire window — Force generation is continuing through the 15-day pause.
- Ceasefire fractures on Lebanon in <24h — IDF hits ~100 Hezbollah sites in 10 minutes — Largest single IDF action of the war, executed hours after Iran-US ceasefire announced.
- Hormuz toll booth operational — yuan-denominated, $64B/yr on-record — Hormuz converted from wartime blockade into a permanent yuan-denominated chokepoint rent.
Frag 52%Chao 27%US M 13%Dipl 8%
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SIGNAL #003
04 April 2026 · Week 6
The Machine and the Brake
Day 36. Military buildup at maximum intensity — but three ultimatum cycles confirm political constraint.
- CIPS yuan surge hits 900B/month — Iran launches yuan toll on Hormuz — China's Cross-Border Interbank Payment System processing war-driven flows at record volumes.
- 112 C-17s deploy across Atlantic — largest air mobility since OIF 2003 — ADS-B data shows 112 C-17 Globemasters crossing the Atlantic to Middle East bases.
- Trump's third deadline cycle — 48 hours → walked back → 'productive talks' — Apr 4: 'All Hell will reign down — 48 hours.' Apr 6: called off citing 'good and productive peace talks.' Same cycle as Mar 26.
Frag 50%Chao 27%US M 15%Dipl 8%
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SIGNAL #002
26 March 2026 · Week 4
The Pause Expires
Pause expires tomorrow after US markets close
- Ukraine destroys Russia’s largest Baltic oil port — two nights running — Ust-Luga (700K bbl/day capacity) hit by mass drone strike.
- AR 601-210 expedited revision — enlistment age raised to 42 — Army raises max enlistment age from 35 to 42 for both prior and non-prior service.
- Trump’s 5-day pause expires tomorrow (Fri) — after US markets close — Announced 23 Mar with threat to "hit and obliterate" power plants if Hormuz doesn’t open.
Frag 45%Chao 25%US M 20%Dipl 10%
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SIGNAL #001
23 March 2026 · Week 3 · Baseline
The Pause
Day 23 of Iran War. Trump announces 5-day pause.
- Trump announces 5-day "pause" — threatens to obliterate power plants — Trump threatens to "hit and obliterate" Iran’s power plants if Hormuz doesn’t open within 48 hours, then announces a 5-day strike pause "for talks." Iran’s foreign ministry denied any negotiations within the hour.
- Brent crude drops $15 in 4 hours on a single social media post — ~$113 → ~$98 within hours.
- China negotiates separate Hormuz passage for its tankers — China conducting bilateral talks with Iran to secure passage for Chinese-flagged vessels.
Frag 40%Chao 25%US M 20%Dipl 15%
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