Ami Daniel

@MSMInsider @WindwardAI Nope there are multiple others

@WindwardAI Out of curiosity, are you making that assessment from this particular image?

🚨 First confirmed loading at Kharg Island since May 7. Windward SAR imagery shows a ~180m Panamax-class tanker alongside the Kharg Island east terminal.

Watch the full episode of Invested with @amidaniel1: bit.ly/4ufIUQd

Was cool to chat with @prestonstew_ on the global situation! Check it out . youtu.be/0IO52-beS5g

@WindwardAI remote sensing intelligence detected an oil slick off Kharg Island starting May 6 afternoon local time. In subsequent sightings it’s drifting towards the UAE and if not dispersed could hit their coastline in 13 days. How does this get together with the reports by the The Wall Street Journal that Iran still has storage for months? Is it intentional? Looks to big to be a mistake. Thoughts?

@Eran_Efrat @WindwardAI thanks @Eran_Efrat !

אני מת על @WindwardAI 😎 הטריק שהאיראנים עושים פה (למדו אותו מהרוסים דווקא) נקרא Loitering (״שהייה״ או מה שאני קורא לו ״אבטלה סמויה״) והמטרה שלו אחת- לטשטש העמסה מנמלים איראניים. לצורך העניין מקריבים מיכלית אחת, לרוב תחת סנקציות ודגל איראני, חשופה לחלוטין ו”שרופה” כבר והיא היחידה שמדליקה AIS. אליה מתקרבות מיכליות זרות, לרוב ללא ״עבר פלילי״ אבל כולן כן עם משדר כבוי והן מעמיסות ממנה. המטרה היא לטשטש העמסה מנמלים איראניים ולכן המיכלית הופכת למסוף העמסה גלוי אבל מי שמעמיס ממנו- ״לא נראה״. אחרי העמסה יתקרבו אליהן מיכליות גלויות ויעשו STS- שהוא למעשה Cross pumping בין מיכליות בלב ים. אחר כך הן ינסו לצאת החוצה עם מיכלית ״תיקנית״. האם זה עובד? לא במצור. בימים רגילים כן כי לאף אחד לא אכפת, הרי רודפים אחרי הכסף, לא אחרי הנפט. אבל כשכל העיניים על האזור, שום סיכוי. אמרתי לכם. האיראנים משחקים מחבואים של בני 5…

@prestonstew_ i thought you'd like this analysis

The IRGC attacked three ships today. It also captured and took in two of them- the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas while the Euphoria managed to get away. This is a "tit for tat" exercise by the IRGC, which , along with the Houthis , has long claimed MSC is connected to Israel (Aponte, owner and chairman has a Jewish wife and MSC calls in Israel). However so do all major liners. The takeaway I think is that the US blockade creates a lot of pressure, and a ticking time bomb for Iran. It blocks the imports (!) to Iran . It also blocks the exports of oil. With oil, you can't just turn the tap off for a day. Once onshore storage and floating storage runs out (could happen in a week) then you need to turn the tap off - - and it can take 2-10 weeks to restart it. So if that time comes , and they are turning it off- - they won't be just losing the money for the oil they didn't sell. They will also lose the money for future 2+ months of exports. So at 2m barrels a day * 100 usd per barrel - that's 200m a day. For 2 months you're talking about 12 B USD (!). And that's the game that's played. So as long as the world's economy is sustaining the goal, this is basically a big game of "chicken". Images : @WindwardAI data .

Did we see an escalation last night with the US and Iran? Earlier last week Secretary Hegseth with Admiral Cooper and General Cane all said they will enforce the blockade. They said they will consider going after Iranian oil outside of Iran. Bear in mind: I ran a blockade myself. And @WindwardAI is supporting also other operations globally. The US ran a blockade on Venezuelan oil (and interdicted 6-7 ships) , as well as running a limited operation in Cuba. Not once did we see a shot fired. Not once. Not a warning shot but a shot to the engine room. This is what's different this time. The world's economy is at stake. Iranian vessels are sailing as close as possible to the Iranian coastline and within Iranian EEZ (where allegedly there won't be authority to board them). However with 150m barrels + of oil on the water, and many imports from China , there is a lot for the US to go after. Different reports show this container vessel and other similar ones were involved in importing precursor materials for ballistic missiles previously. I don't know where this will go . What I do know is we're seeing two very very serious sides which are quite adamant not to give up. This is why real fire was shot on the engine room.

🚨 First U.S. interdiction of the blockade: Iranian-flagged container ship TOUSKA obstructed ~45NM southeast of Chabahar. The OFAC-sanctioned, IRISL-linked container vessel was en route from Port Klang to Chabahar when U.S. naval assets forced it to reduce speed and reverse course at 13:00 UTC. This marks the first confirmed U.S. intersection of an Iranian vessel since the blockade began. Why TOUSKA was a priority target: → OFAC Level 3 sanctioned under IRN, NPWMD, SECON, and IFSR programs. → Operated by IRISL from September 2023 to September 2025. → 16 Iranian port calls in the past 12 months. → High Windward smuggling risk score, with dark activity, loitering events, and meetings with Iran-flagged vessels. TOUSKA is not an isolated profile. Windward has identified three additional vessels sharing near-identical ownership structures, sanctions status, and behavioral fingerprints. All three remain active in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman corridor. Enforcement credibility is now being established on the water.

We started Windward before Maritime was in the news. Before the Dark Fleet. Before the Straits of Hormuz were blocked. We started it at a time when you had to *apologize* for building a technology for the public sector. I recall we were one of @aleph first investments, and @eden saying they are a "contrarian investor". Fast forward to 2026 - Maritime is not niche anymore, DefenseTech is something we all appreciate and need and is as hot as the AI market. Thanks to @ViolaGroup and to @AShmulovich for including me in such a great list of leaders ahead of Israel's independence Day. It's a great honor to be honest , and amazing people on that list. Also kudos to my good friends @Shalevhulio , @noamfriedman, @hamutalm and @davidmchinn for making the list. It's such a great opportunity to make an impact and contribution in such an important time in the world. Here is the full list: lnkd.in/e3vTFruh

Vantor x @WindwardAI = no more blind spots at sea. We’re integrating Sentry, our automated persistent monitoring system, into Windward’s Maritime AI platform to close the gap between detection and identity. The most advanced space-based intelligence + AI-powered vessel fingerprinting + fused intelligence stack. For always-on maritime intelligence, even when vessels go dark. More here 👉 vantor.com/blog/windward-…

All eyes are on the Straits of Hormuz right now. And everyone know ships are going dark. Using Zombie identities. Spoofing their locations. And until now it was possible. This has now changed . I'm very excited to announce a strategic partnership with @vantortech : Vantor is the operator of the world's best , and highest resolution optical satellite constellation at a 30cm resolution, powered by the new Legion constellation. Multi revisit , high res . But it doesn't end there. Vantor brings a vessel fingerprinting capability at a level that was simply not possible before Legion through its Maritime Sentry and Site Sentry capabilities. And that joins the #1 maritime intelligence capability in the world. With 15 years of proprietary , AI , ready data . Integrated into every vessel profile, enriching @WindwardAI semantic layer . Allowing no ship to go untracked. Even if you have never transmitted even once, we will know who you are and where you are going. This is already has been put to use as of today in one of the world's most demanding and operational theaters with an operational customer. If you are operating a trading business, running a national security agency, a navy, or a shipping operator: this is your opportunity to get an edge. So please do reach out. This is what AIS gave you in 2008. An edge. Clarity. Understanding. Welcome to the next phase of maritime intelligence. Read more here: finance.yahoo.com/sectors/techno…

Tuesday, 14 April , 0745 GMT, here's my analysis based on @WindwardAI : - Falsely flagged, US-sanctioned handy size tanker signalling it's laden (likely Iran CPP of some type) after initially turning around yesterday went through the Gulf. That's the first indication I think of any Iranian output going out post blockade announcement. - The second is an inbound, another falsely flagged, US-sanctioned chemicals tanker which I believe is also related to Iran and coming in . These are the first Iranian - related indications i'm seeing of real commercial traffic since the blockade. - I'm also seeing a TotalEnergies related tanker coming in, and other UAE related trade and a bunch of small vessels. Let's see where this goes.

@Eng_china5 Cosco owned/ operated ships as of 13/4 2030. let's see where this goes, doesn't seem immediate.

China warns the United States against reckless actions regarding Chinese interests in the Strait of Hormuz. Source: Chinese vessels continue to enter and exit the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. We have trade and energy agreements with Iran, which we will respect and uphold. We expect others to understand that interfering in China’s affairs is futile.

April 13, 8pm GMT: The US Blockade is on for a few hours now: - First, it isn't a blockade on the Straits. That's not the case. This is a blockade on Iran and all Iranian trade (imports and exports). Any other ship , based on UKMTO advice is free to go in and out. - Based on @WindwardAI we've seen "neutral" ships flow in and out (11 inbound/ 11 outbound pre blockade, looks vibrant now but let's see). EXCEPT Iranian tankers/ false flagged- see the image to the right about one of them taking a clear u-turn. - The real test would be IMHO when Iran tries to import, not just export. Iran was expected to import $110 billion in 2026. The bulk of these shipments consists of essential agricultural commodities like maize, soybeans, and wheat- primarily sourced from Brazil, Russia, and Argentina - which flow through the specialized berths of Bandar Imam Khomeini. Simultaneously, the manufacturing sector relies heavily on China and India for high-tech machinery, automotive parts (CKD kits), and electronics, most of which transit through the strategic container hub of Bandar Abbas. I suspect there are efforts to go back to negotiation and therefore everyone's trying to refrain from ballistic moves right now, but the longer it goes, Iran , like all the rest of the countries in the Gulf will need food, parts to import, and oil to export.

I wrote this early this morning and I wasn't sure if I would actually publish it, but here it is: blog.samaltman.com/2279512

@assafbar7 @WindwardAI there's no proof of that, quite the opposite . we've seen 10s of vessels "hug " the Omani coastline.

@AmiDaniel1 @WindwardAI Correct, but, regarding naval mining, the IRGC's threats that the area extending to Oman is mined, carry significant weight in the decisions to sail along this route.

A ceasefire between the US and Iran. So what do we know so far? - It's for 2 weeks , for now. - The ceasefire stipulates "opening of the Hormuz Straits". According to @WindwardAI (see below) ,aside from two specific Greek vessels transiting out just now, this hasn't happened yet at scale, including a Botswana flagged LPG tanker that has turned around. - Unclear if the Iranian toll booth will continue cashing out every day or not. I've seen an announcement by the Omanis that they won't be charging a toll fee. So if that's correct, why would anyone go through the Iranian passageway?

It's about control. The UN Law of the Sea states that there is "freedom of navigation" across chokepoints, seas, oceans. There are very clear authorities in international law. Iran today clearly states in a formal letter that the center of the straits is mined (we don't know if it's true but it can take weeks to prove it). @WindwardAI data shows a local peak of 11 outbound crossings , a far cry still from the 130 or so originally seen. One of these crossings is "hugging" the Omani coastline (which doesn't appear By the way in the Iranian map) . The Omani route is actually deep enough to allow a VLCC to pass (±100m depth), but it isn't an easy one.

Strait of Hormuz Update: April 9, 18:32 UTC Slight uptick in activity observed following the ceasefire: 14 transits tracked (11 outbound, 3 inbound), with several additional vessels signaling intent to transit. While these reflect the first signs of a shift in transit behavior, movements remain coordinated and volume is well below pre-conflict levels.