At the narrow passage between Iran and Oman where roughly one-fifth of the world's daily oil supply flows, a U.S. military commander has reported tanker traffic reaching its highest level in six months — a quiet but consequential signal from one of the planet's most watched chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz has long served as both a physical artery and a barometer of geopolitical confidence, where the movement of cargo reflects not just commerce but the collective judgment of markets, governments, and shipping companies about the stability of a volatile region. That volumes are rising suggests