Asia Intelligence Brief — Saturday, July 18, 2026

Rio Times · Asia Intelligence Brief July 18 —Oil Shock Brent crude prices leapt by $18 in Asian trading to $139 after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard began controlling all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. —Seoul Verdict A Seoul court sentenced impeached ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol to life imprisonment for insurrection, triggering a record 12% single-day plunge in the KOSPI index. —Manila Talks US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and China’s Wang Yi met in Manila to prepare a Xi-Trump summit, even as a new collision inflamed South China Sea tensions. —Kashmir Flare-up The India-Pakistan ceasefire collapsed into overnight artillery and missile fire, killing 18 and forcing both nations to place their nuclear forces on high alert. —Bavi’s Fury Typhoon Bavi slammed into Taiwan with 240 km/h winds