Mike Baker

Multiple suspects are now in custody after reportedly discussing plans involving drones and gunmen.

And in today's back of the brief, forget spy satellites and secret wiretaps.

Intelligence agencies around the world are increasingly just buying massive amounts of consumer data from private companies to help identify and track potential targets.

But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

President Trump says ships are beginning to move once again through the Strait of Hormuz following the signing of an initial memorandum or agreement or deal, whatever we're calling it.

Now, oil prices have fallen sharply on hopes that one of the most disruptive energy crises in modern history may finally be coming to an end.

Now, I've said it before, but I have found it very interesting over the past couple of months to see just how fickle the energy markets can be, basically grasping and clinging to any possible positive comment or sign.

But according to a new report from Wall Street Journal, ending the crisis and recovering from it are two very different things.

The Strait of Hormuz, of course, is one of the world's most important maritime choke points.

As most know by now, roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passes through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

When the conflict kicked off and shipping through the strait was disrupted, the consequences rippled across the global economy.

Oil production dropped, tankers were stranded, strategic reserves were tapped, and energy markets were thrown into turmoil.

Well, now comes the difficult part, getting everything moving again.

As of Monday morning, shipping traffic in and around the Strait remained unusually quiet.

Some crews told the Journal they had not yet received instructions to start engines or prepare for transit.

Others reported that GPS signals, which had been disrupted during the conflict, had only recently returned.

Even before the agreement was announced, however, traffic had begun to slowly recover.

According to shipping data cited by the Journal, roughly 10 ships per day were passing through the Strait during the first week of June.

Now, that may sound encouraging until you compare it to normal conditions.

Before the conflict, more than 100 vessels a day routinely transited the waterway.