Insight & analysis on the White House and Capitol Hill.

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Iranian officials have become reluctant to even discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz as they focus on surviving the US-Israeli onslaught, according to a person involved in direct, high-level contacts with Tehran.

Energy infrastructure attacks and strikes on high-profile Iranian officials, including the recent killing of security chief Ali Larijani, mark an escalation that is slowing attempts to get commercial ships moving again, the person added, speaking anonymously to discuss private talks.

Oil prices extended gains sharply on the news. Brent crude prices jumped back above $110 a barrel and the most active US crude futures price climbed more than 2.5% to trade above $98 a barrel by 1:20 pm ET. 

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
• Arbroath Group Managing Partner Christopher Smart.
• Bloomberg Wall Street Week Host David Westin.
• Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino and Bluestack Strategies Founder Maura Gillespie.
• Bloomberg Television Markets Correspondent Norah Mulinda.
• Cohen Group Senior Advisor Jen Gavito.