Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz for several hours during live-fire IRGC drills on 17 Feb, even as its foreign minister sat down with the US in Geneva for renewed nuclear talks. Roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG moves through this 33-km chokepoint; a shutdown of even a few hours forces tankers into costly holding patterns and jolts insurers and navies alike. (amp.dw.com)

Markets, however, shrugged: Brent settled 0.4 % lower at $91.20, the third straight day of easing. Traders read the manoeuvre as calibrated signalling, not prelude to escalation—a pattern seen in 2019 when similar IRGC exercises pushed prices up 4 % before sliding back once diplomacy resumed. This volatility asymmetry suggests maritime risk is being structurally discounted, masking a widening gap between military brinkmanship and perceived supply security. (apnews.com)

Yet every rehearsal of closure normalises the idea that a single regional actor can ransom 20 % of global energy—fuel for the growing bloc arguing that concentrated fossil corridors are a strategic liability. The episode underscores a hard truth: in an interdependent system, resilience hinges less on tactical deterrence than on diversifying away from chokepoints entirely. “The future is a negotiation between power and imagination,” writes Anne-Marie Slaughter; today, Tehran is dictating the terms.

The Gist AI Editor

Political Friction in Defense Tech

Germany’s plan to procure next-generation strike drones has hit a political snag, highlighting the difficult intersection of national security, private capital, and ideology (FT). Berlin is awarding contracts potentially worth billions to startups Stark Defence and Helsing to modernize the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces. However, political scrutiny is intensifying over the role of investor Peter Thiel in Stark, with Germany’s defense minister calling for clarification. This situation illustrates a classic tension: governments need cutting-edge technology, which often comes from venture-backed innovators, but are wary of the politics of their financial backers. Such friction risks bogging down procurement, potentially slowing military adaptation at a critical time for European security.

Venture Capital Fuels Quantum Leap

Shifting from military to foundational technology, Paris-based Quantonation Ventures has closed a new €220 million fund dedicated to quantum technologies and deep physics (Bloomberg). Backed by industrial heavyweights like Spain’s ACS and Novo Holdings, the fund signals serious long-term capital is flowing into a sector poised to redefine computing, sensing, and communications. Unlike incremental software updates, quantum represents a paradigm shift. This investment is a bet on entrepreneurs building the core components of that future—a powerful example of free-market capital allocation driving high-risk, high-reward innovation far from government mandate.

Stay tuned for the next Gist—your edge in a shifting world.

German drone maker Stark faces political backlash over Peter Thiel links
— Financial Times

Carmakers to win reprieve in £11bn UK motor finance redress scheme
— Financial Times

Tech, Media & Telecom Roundup: Market Talk
— Wall Street Journal

Tech Exchange
— Financial Times

La-Z-Boy Expects Adverse Weather to Hurt Current Quarter Results
— Wall Street Journal

Devon Energy Profit, Revenue Slip Ahead of Coterra Merger
— Wall Street Journal

Transatlantic Energy Fracture

The post-war energy consensus is fracturing. The US has threatened to withdraw from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the West’s energy watchdog, unless it abandons its green transition focus (Politico). US Energy Secretary Chris Wright wants the Paris-based body to prioritize “energy security,” dismissing its climate work by stating, “We don’t need a net-zero scenario, that’s ridiculous.” This ultimatum places EU members in an impossible position, forcing a choice between a core climate policy and the transatlantic alliance that has underpinned global energy markets for decades. If the US exits, the IEA’s influence diminishes, potentially ceding ground to OPEC+ and creating a schism in global energy governance that will complicate Europe’s net-zero ambitions.

The Mosquito’s Mandate

A sobering new reality has arrived on the continent. The tropical disease chikungunya, known for causing excruciating pain, can now be transmitted locally across most of Europe due to climate change (The Guardian). A recent study confirms that invasive mosquitoes can sustain transmission for over six months of the year in southern Europe and for two months even in south-east England. Following hundreds of cases in France and Italy in 2025, this signals a paradigm shift for European public health. National healthcare systems, already strained, must now prepare for pathogens previously considered exotic. This is a tangible, non-negotiable consequence of a warming planet, moving climate change from a policy debate to a direct household threat.

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

Behrens: AfD “vergiftet” unsere Gesellschaft
— ZDF

EU wants to save regions on Russia’s doorstep from economic malaise
— Politico Europe

Excruciating tropical disease can now be transmitted in most of Europe, study finds
— The Guardian

Aktuelles zum Krieg in der Ukraine
— ZDF

Fernsehstar Lambert Hamel ist tot
— ZDF

US threatens to quit International Energy Agency if it doesn’t drop green transition
— Politico Europe