Economists blindsided by boring old corruption
The energy crisis everyone predicted from a Strait of Hormuz closure never materialized. Shocked Pikachu faces all around.
Turns out the US quietly green-lit a Qatar-Iran cash arrangement. Billions flowed to Tehran in exchange for safe passage through the strait. American navy looked the other way. Policy was supposed to be crushing Iran, but actually crushing oil prices mattered more.
Economics didn't break. Governments just lied about the data they were working with. The fundamentals were fine. The secret deals weren't.
The US secretly approved a financial and maritime arrangement between Qatar and Iran, under which billions of dollars were paid to Tehran in exchange for free passage for Qatari tankers and ships through the Strait of Hormuz, three diplomatic officials now confirm. This was a deliberate and conscious course of action by the US administration, which allowed its navy to turn a blind eye to the arrangement, in complete contradiction of its declared policy. The move was intended to ease the crisis in global energy markets and curb rising oil prices. https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/15/trump-secretly-approved-qatar-iran-cash-deal/
Source
x.com