Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/helium-enters-force-majeure-asia-prices-us-crude-vs-soaring-brent-houthis-enter-the-fight/
Economy
AirGas, an Air Liquide company, declared force majeure on helium shipments from March 17, citing Qatar’s halt in LNG production after Iranian strikes on regional energy infrastructure. Qatar supplies about one-third of global helium, used in MRI machines, respiratory treatments, semiconductors, including Nvidia AI chips, and rockets. AirGas plans to deliver up to half normal volumes with a $13.50 per hundred cubic feet surcharge, prioritizing healthcare over manufacturing. Despite this, some chipmakers reported no notable production impact due to reserves and recycling.
In gold markets, Turkey’s central bank reportedly sold and swapped about 58 tons—over 10 percent of holdings, worth more than $8 billion—in the two weeks after the Iran war began. The actions, including gold-collateralized swaps for foreign exchange, reportedly aim to stabilize the lira amid high energy import costs and 31.5 percent inflation. As a near-total oil importer, Turkey reversed its decade-long gold buying trend, a move that some argue contributed to a 15 percent monthly drop in bullion prices below $4,400 per ounce. Some analysts argued the sales were insufficient to account for the full extent of the price decline.
Lastly, high oil prices and continued fears over the Strait of Hormuz have reportedly boosted electric vehicle demand in China. Analysts say this shift positions EVs as a cost-saving option, aided by low-cost Chinese models. China surpassed Japan as the top global car seller in 2025, exporting 8.32 million vehicles in the prior year, including 2.32 million EVs. EV sales exceeded 10 percent of total sales in 39 countries, with rapid adoption in developing economies, though short-term production faces energy cost pressures.
Geopolitics
Israel struck Iran’s Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd, targeting missile production, nuclear infrastructure, and regime sites. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization reported no casualties or contamination risk, noting the Arak plant has been non-operational since a prior Israeli attack. Israel called the Yazd strike a blow to raw material processing for enrichment. IRGC Aerospace Force commander Seyed Majid Moosavi warned of retaliation exceeding an eye-for-eye response and urged U.S.- and Israel-linked employees to leave workplaces.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles at Israel—their first since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran began—targeting sites near Beersheba and a nuclear research center. The Israeli military intercepted one missile, with no casualties. Houthi spokesperson Brigadier-General Yahya Saree said strikes would continue until aggression against resistance fronts ends. Deputy information minister Mohammed Mansour indicated staged escalation, potentially including closure of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, affecting 30 percent of Israel’s imports.
The U.S. Department of Defense has deployed BlackSea’s Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft drone boats—modeled on Ukraine’s systems—for Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The unmanned surface vehicles have recorded over 450 underway hours and 2,200 nautical miles in patrols supporting intelligence, surveillance, mine countermeasures, and potential strikes. U.S. forces also reportedly use kamikaze drones modeled on Iran’s Shahed-136.
Energy
Asian refiners have shifted to pricing U.S. crude against ICE Brent, avoiding the volatile Dubai benchmark, which reached $169.75 per barrel last week amid Persian Gulf disruptions and a de facto Strait of Hormuz closure. Japanese firm Taiyo Oil purchased 2 million barrels of U.S. light crude at a $19 premium to Brent for July delivery. Refineries reduced rates, and fuel prices rose, prompting government actions like four-day workweeks and fuel export bans, affecting global jet and diesel markets.
Iran blocked two COSCO ultra-large container ships, CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean, from transiting the Strait of Hormuz via an approved lane near Larak Island, despite prior allowances for Chinese vessels. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard turned back three other container ships bound for or from U.S. and Israeli supporters. Only ships carrying Iran-bound household goods, cars, clothing, pharmaceuticals, or grains—like four recent bulkers from Russia and South America—are permitted passage after delays.
Artificial Intelligence
A data leak reportedly revealed Anthropic’s testing of Claude Mythos, including a new tier called Capybara. Leaked documents claim Capybara outperforms Claude Opus 4.6 in software coding, academic reasoning, and cybersecurity, with cyber capabilities that exploit vulnerabilities faster than defenders can respond. Anthropic reportedly plans early access for cyber defenders to harden systems before wider release. The leak resulted from human error in a content management system and exposed nearly 3,000 unpublished assets, including details of a CEO retreat on unreleased capabilities. Some observers have questioned the authenticity of the leaked documents.
In other news, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, trained cortical brain organoids from mouse stem cells to solve the cartpole challenge, balancing an upright pole on a moving cart. In a hybrid organoid-computer system, electrical stimulation served as reinforcement learning signals after failures, raising success rates from 4.5 percent to 46.5 percent in continuous trials. The organoids adapted without dopamine, using another chemical to strengthen connections, though performance declined after 45 minutes without stimulation.
Health
Dr. Robert Malone stated that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as HHS Secretary, appointed an individual to oversee the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and other areas. Malone described this person as acting like a saboteur. He said he warned Kennedy but withdrew due to a hostile CDC environment, including entrenched personnel, suppression of vaccine harm data, lack of support during professional attacks, and disrespect toward advisors who contributed thousands of hours. HHS described Malone’s claims as baseless.
Meanwhile, Geert Vanden Bossche recently published an analysis arguing that the apparent stability of SARS-CoV-2 may actually signal growing evolutionary tension rather than a benign endemic phase. The SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 has numerous mutations, particularly in the spike protein, enabling antibody evasion. Tracking analyses and wastewater surveillance show BA.3.2 rising and falling in prevalence without dominating other variants across countries. Officials report no evidence of increased transmissibility or severity for the variant.
Lastly, a Caltech study of global soil microbial data found higher abundances of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and producers in drier soils. Drought reportedly reduces microbial space, increasing competition and selecting for resistance genes. The study linked soil resistance to higher hospital infections from resistant bacteria in arid regions, noting gene transfer via dust inhalation and contact. The analysis showed correlation but not necessarily causation between soil resistance and hospital infections.
Sources
Anthropic’s Leaked “Capybara”: The Hacking AI Too Powerful to Release
it’s so good at hacking that they’re worried about releasing it
SARS-CoV-2’s Apparent Calm Is an Illusion: BA.3.2 Signals Evolutionary Instability
Why the current ‘calm’ in SARS-CoV-2 evolution is an illusion of stability (‘endemicity’) and actually signals growing instability
Source | Submitted by Anna_esq
Iran Conflict Fuels Surge in Chinese EV Demand
“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz could be a game-changer for EVs,”
AirGas Slams Brakes on Helium: Force Majeure as Qatar’s Supply Implodes
AirGas Declares Force Majeure On Helium Shipments As Qatar Production Collapses
Turkey Dumps 58 Tons of Gold After Iran War Ignites, Hammers Bullion Prices
Turkey’s central bank sold and swapped about 60 tons of gold, worth more than $8 billion, or more than 10% of the country’s total holdings, in two weeks after the start of the war in Iran
Dr. Malone Exposes Alleged ‘Mole’ Appointed by RFK Jr. to CDC’s ACIP
Bobby appointed somebody to be operationally in charge of the ACIP and a number of other aspects of the CDC. And that person appears to have been a mole.
Mini Brains Zap Their Way to Solving the Cartpole Challenge
Scientists have now trained mini brains, or brain organoids, to master the same problem, simulated in the digital realm, with electrical zaps alone.
Source | Submitted by Barbara
Drought Fuels Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs from Soil to Hospitals
Droughts are creating the same effects as overuse of antibiotics in the clinic: They both drive selection for antibiotics resistance.
Source | Submitted by Barbara
US Deploys Ukraine-Inspired Drone Boats Against Iran as AI Arms Race Intensifies
The Department of War confirmed to Reuters that it deployed Ukrainian-style drone boats to the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
Asia Pivots to Brent Pricing for U.S. Crude as Dubai Volatility Explodes
Asia Begins Pricing U.S. Oil Against Brent as Dubai Volatility Spikes
Iran Blocks Chinese Ships in Surprise Hormuz Strait Snub
In a surprise twist, Iran appears to have turned its back on its best (and only) client, Beijing
Houthis Launch First Ballistic Missiles at Israel as US-Israel War on Iran Escalates
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have attacked Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles – their first such strikes since the United States-Israeli war on Iran began.
Israel Strikes Iran’s Nuclear Sites; Tehran Vows Retaliation Beyond “Eye for an Eye”
“This time, the equation will no longer be ‘an eye for an eye,’ just wait.”
Source (Paywalled)
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Fortune, Poldark’s Horse, UK scientists, CDC, New York Times, Ars Technica, CIDRAP, TSMC statements, Supply Signal, Umakanth, BullionVault, CENTCOM, and GlobePulses.
