Apr 13: U.S. Blockade of Iran Begins
01_front_matteriran_war
This Week's Headlines
- MPRC poll (April 7, 2026): Platner (D) 48, Collins (R) 39, Platner +9. Separate MPRC matchup (April 7, 2026): Collins (R) 45, Mills (D) 42, Collins +3. Track B RCP fetch failed (page_content_empty); Track A is sole source.
- Quantus Insights poll (reported April 7, 2026 via RealClearPolling): Cooper (D) 49, Whatley (R) 44, Cooper +5. Track B RCP fetch failed (page_content_empty); Track A is sole source.
- Emerson College poll (date not specified within past 14 days, via RealClearPolling): Ossoff (D) 48, Collins (R) 43, Ossoff +5. Track B RCP fetch failed (page_content_empty); Track A is sole source. Exact poll date unconfirmed.
- Emerson College poll (April 7, 2026): Moody (R) 47, Nixon (D) 36, Moody +11. Special election date not specified in available results.
- GA-14 special election result (April 7, 2026): Republican Clay Fuller 55.9%, Democrat Shawn Harris 44.1%; Republican hold. No other House special election results found.
- As of April 13, 2026 (day 44 of the conflict, day 6 of ceasefire): A fragile two-week ceasefire agreed April 7 remains nominally in effect with no active combat reported, but U.S.-led talks in Islamabad collapsed April 12 after 21 hours without agreement. VP JD Vance described the U.S. nuclear proposal as take-it-or-leave-it; Iran claimed it negotiated in good faith and was near a deal. Trump called the ceasefire 'holding well' but said Iran is in 'bad shape.' The U.S. announced a blockade of Iranian ports and interdiction of vessels paying Iran Strait of Hormuz tolls, set to begin 10:00 ET April 13; Iran warned of retaliation. Strait of Hormuz traffic halted. Oil prices reported surging; no specific figures confirmed. No DoD or CENTCOM official casualty figures found. Separate Israel-Lebanon-U.S. high-level talks planned. Two U.S. Air Force service members were extracted from Iranian territory on April 6 following an aircraft downing April 3.
Dashboard Snapshot
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Gas (EIA) | $4.12/gal |
| Brent Crude | $127.61/bbl |
| S&P 500 | 6,816.89 |
| Unemployment | 4.3% |
| 10-Yr Treasury | 4.29% |
| UMich Sentiment | 56.6 |
| Generic Ballot | D+5.4 |
| Trump Approval | Net -15.1 |
| Iran War Approval | Net -15.1 |
What Changed
- senate_maine
- MPRC poll (April 7, 2026): Platner (D) 48, Collins (R) 39, Platner +9. Separate MPRC matchup (April 7, 2026): Collins (R) 45, Mills (D) 42, Collins +3. Track B RCP fetch failed (page_content_empty); Track A is sole source.
- senate_north_carolina
- Quantus Insights poll (reported April 7, 2026 via RealClearPolling): Cooper (D) 49, Whatley (R) 44, Cooper +5. Track B RCP fetch failed (page_content_empty); Track A is sole source.
- senate_georgia
- Emerson College poll (date not specified within past 14 days, via RealClearPolling): Ossoff (D) 48, Collins (R) 43, Ossoff +5. Track B RCP fetch failed (page_content_empty); Track A is sole source. Exact poll date unconfirmed.
- senate_florida_special
- Emerson College poll (April 7, 2026): Moody (R) 47, Nixon (D) 36, Moody +11. Special election date not specified in available results.
- house_race_events
- GA-14 special election result (April 7, 2026): Republican Clay Fuller 55.9%, Democrat Shawn Harris 44.1%; Republican hold. No other House special election results found.
- iran_war_status
- As of April 13, 2026 (day 44 of the conflict, day 6 of ceasefire): A fragile two-week ceasefire agreed April 7 remains nominally in effect with no active combat reported, but U.S.-led talks in Islamabad collapsed April 12 after 21 hours without agreement. VP JD Vance described the U.S. nuclear proposal as take-it-or-leave-it; Iran claimed it negotiated in good faith and was near a deal. Trump called the ceasefire 'holding well' but said Iran is in 'bad shape.' The U.S. announced a blockade of Iranian ports and interdiction of vessels paying Iran Strait of Hormuz tolls, set to begin 10:00 ET April 13; Iran warned of retaliation. Strait of Hormuz traffic halted. Oil prices reported surging; no specific figures confirmed. No DoD or CENTCOM official casualty figures found. Separate Israel-Lebanon-U.S. high-level talks planned. Two U.S. Air Force service members were extracted from Iranian territory on April 6 following an aircraft downing April 3.