The questions our published briefs answer that touch Iran.
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About Iran (primary)
Scenario Brief · S-001 · 16 questionsIran, the Strait of Hormuz, and a renewed strike
Geopolitical
Does the United States or Israel strike Iran again between 22 August and 20 November 2026?
“Likely, as registered on 21 August 2026: 61% that US or Israeli forces strike Iran by 20 November 2026, our estimate, scored when it resolves; on 21 August the strait was shut by permit.”
our estimate, scored when it resolves
On the register: F-007461%, open · F-007372%, superseded, scored. The forecast register
What does a transit fee do to a hull-insured vessel's cover?
“A one-dollar toll and a two-million-dollar toll carry the same consequence, and the guidance note states it also reaches payments to a non-Iranian entity such as Oman, or other states.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
“If a US principal states that energy infrastructure is off the target list, or the measures of 19–20 August are formally presented as the substitute for military action, or a dated instrument replaces the lapsed understanding, our view falls”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Country Outlook · C-002 · 21 questionsIs any single future for Iran likely?
Geopolitical
Is any single future for Iran likely?
“No. The most likely of six registered futures, a Guard-run holding pattern, stands at 13.74%, our estimate, scored when it resolves; about 43% lies outside all six.”
our estimate, scored when it resolves
On the register: F-002014%, open · F-000812%, open · F-000912%, open · F-00109%, open · F-00116%, open · F-00214%, open. The forecast register
“Into that gap, the source judged, the Revolutionary Guard moved as the decisive force: the only intact institution of national reach when the clerical apex fell.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Has the new Supreme Leader been seen since his appointment?
“As of 30 September 2026 no confirmed footage of him had been released since the appointment, according to Wikipedia's article on him (second-hand, retrieved 30 Sep 2026), which also records written messages attributed to him and read on state television.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Does the Strait of Hormuz stay open to normal commercial traffic?
“Crude through Hormuz reached a seven-day average of 13.5 mb/d to 28 Sep 2026, matching the pre-war baseline, under US military escorts and ship-to-ship transfers (Kpler, via CNBC, 30 Sep 2026).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Affected Saudi Arabia +5
Does Gulf infrastructure stay inside the war's range?
“Airports, fuel tanks and at least one desalination plant were struck, the source recorded; the Saudi East-West pipeline was shut in September 2026 after a drone strike launched from Iraq (CNBC, 30 Sep 2026).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Affected Saudi Arabia +5
“About a third of Iraqi power generation depends on Iranian gas, a widely cited figure the source could not independently confirm; Iraqi militias and US forces struck each other during the war.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
“The US Energy Information Administration's daily Brent spot series shows a wider range over the same period: from US$68.53 to US$138.21 between 2 March and 17 July 2026 (EIA, release of 30 Sep 2026).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Has the US-Iran negotiating track held since July 2026?
“US forces struck Revolutionary Guard targets on 30 August and 1 September 2026, the first known US strike since 29 July, according to US Central Command as reported by Stars and Stripes (1 Sep 2026).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
“The call would be wrong if a single future became likely: above all, a durable settlement signed by an Iranian leadership able to deliver it, with independent nuclear verification restored and six months without cross-border strikes.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Theme Brief · T-003 · 19 questionsWas the Strait of Hormuz closed, or repriced cargo by cargo?
Geoeconomic · Geopolitical
Was the Strait of Hormuz closed, or repriced cargo by cargo?
“Repriced cargo by cargo: by mid-2026 LNG kept under a tenth and crude under a quarter of their late-2025 flow through the Strait, and by 28 September crude, on Kpler's pre-war baseline, was back; products were not.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Oman Affected Saudi Arabia +9
Was the Strait of Hormuz closed to neutral shipping?
“The Joint Maritime Information Center's Update 082 of 9 August 2026 described traffic at reduced levels across a northern Iranian-controlled route and a southern Omani corridor, and stated that neutral transit was permitted.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Which Gulf exporters have a way to ship oil around the Strait of Hormuz?
“Only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have operating pipelines around the Strait, on EIA's record: the 5-million-barrel-a-day East-West line to the Red Sea and a 1.5-million line to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Oman Affected Saudi Arabia +5
“On the Kiel Institute's model of a full closure, US welfare falls by 0.07 per cent while losses in South Asia and Africa are 10 to 20 times larger in percentage terms.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Oman Affected United States +4
Could the largest strategic oil stocks behind the Strait be released?
“The two largest strategic holders behind the Strait were not part of it. EIA estimates China's strategic stock at 1,492 million barrels in the second quarter of 2026 and India's at 21 million; neither country is an IEA member.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Oman Affected China +3
“Rather than choose a reader, the source edition swept nine classes of the public record and found 154 parties with a stake: 59 lose, 39 gain and 56 do both.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Why are the gains from the Hormuz disruption visible and the losses not?
“The asymmetry comes from disclosure rules, not from the world: a listed company must report its earnings, and nobody must price what a force majeure notice cost them.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
How much did war-risk insurance for a Hormuz transit cost in 2026?
“Al Jazeera reported on 23 July 2026 that an S&P Global report put war-risk costs at 7.5 to 10 per cent of hull value, from 1 to 3 per cent previously.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Was marine war insurance still available for Strait of Hormuz transits?
“The Lloyd's Market Association stated on 23 March 2026 that hull war cover remained available in the Lloyd's and London company market for vessels wishing to transit, and that liability cover through the P&I clubs is non-cancellable.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
How much warning came before the cost of a Hormuz transit changed?
“The longest formal notice found in the record read here is the UK P&I Club's 72 hours, and it ran from midnight GMT on 28 February 2026, the day the US and Israeli attacks on Iran began.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Oman Affected Bahrain +3
What futures does the brief set out for the Strait of Hormuz?
“On 30 September 2026 none of the four had been retired: crude had recovered while LNG had no newer EIA figure, and JWLA-035 of 16 September still listed the Gulf.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Decision Brief · Q-023 · 3 questionsIf the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, how much Saudi crude can reach buyers, and for how long?
Geopolitical · Geoeconomic
If the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, how much Saudi crude can reach buyers, and for how long?
“74–196 million barrels could leave Saudi Arabia in six weeks with the shuttle running, but none bought on 25 September was on file to land that soon.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Saudi Arabia Affected Japan +8
Is cyber pre-positioning in US infrastructure a closed incident?
“The source carried these as facts side by side, not as a proven causal chain: whether the staffing cuts weakened the wartime response is contested and was not adopted.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.
Each answer is quoted verbatim from the brief. Answers with a register ID are our estimates, scored when they resolve; the others are the brief’s reading of the evidence, not forecasts.
Regions in these questions Africa · Asia · East Asia · Europe · Middle East · North America · South America · South Asia
ISO 3166-1 name: Islamic Republic of Iran (IRN). Country and territory names follow common usage and imply no position on sovereignty.
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General research for general circulation; not investment, legal or tax advice and not tailored to any reader. Every probability is our estimate, scored when it resolves.
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