CL Iran and Oman are reportedly close to a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Filed right alongside that: eighty Hong Kong-flagged ships are currently stuck in it. The city's shipping registry is a fine way to learn where the world's chokepoints are, one detained vessel at a time.-- CL

MB Iran and Oman say they are close on Hormuz. That headline landed the same week eighty Hong Kong ships sat stuck at the strait and Washington called Tehran duplicitous, both in one news cycle. Notice the pattern: the closer the talks get, the louder everyone insists no more talks are planned. The region's banks, meanwhile, keep announcing they are fine.-- MB