Hormuz attacks pass 18 this month · Houthi missiles keep targeting Saudi cities · Russia hits energy sites despite 'ceasefire'

Risk stays high into Tuesday, Oct 13. Iran is widening its campaign against Hormuz shipping, Houthi missiles keep flying at Saudi cities, and Russia hit Ukrainian energy sites despite the U.S.-announced "energy ceasefire."

Middle East: UKMTO issued four late reports of ships struck in Hormuz on Oct. 11, including a rare hit on a container ship, bringing October's tally to at least 18 attacks. The IRGC says it set a supertanker on fire Monday for running with its transponder off; Iranian media showed the ADNOC-owned VLCC Al Maqam burning, which ADNOC has not confirmed. Hormuz traffic remains about 75% below pre-war levels.

Saudi Arabia/Yemen: The coalition said it intercepted three Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and Khamis Mushait Monday, while another projectile hit Terminal 4 at Riyadh's airport, where operations stay suspended. Saturday's airport strike has now killed at least 13, and Saudi Arabia is investigating why its air defenses failed.

Ukraine: Trump insists the energy ceasefire holds, but Zelenskyy says Russia struck six energy sites Monday and 33 people were wounded nationwide. Kyiv says it spared Russian refineries; the Kremlin says only that "contacts are ongoing" and rejected a 60-day truce. A drone killed a woman in a Kyiv high-rise overnight. The EU approved its largest sanctions package since 2022.

Energy/U.S.: Brent closed at $106.65 Monday, its highest since Sept. 15, then slipped to about $105.5 Tuesday. The Energy Department issued an emergency order for the PJM grid for Oct. 13–16 after PJM warned reserves could run tight on Oct. 14, with Maryland, D.C. and Virginia most strained. About 120,000 Southeast customers were still without power from Isaias as of Monday.

For USL readers: in the Mid-Atlantic, keep flashlights and batteries charged and plan for a possible short outage this week. Elsewhere, expect fuel prices to stay volatile.