Good morning, Lisbon. It's Tuesday, April 7, and we're looking at 19°C with sunshine. Rosalia plays MEO Arena tomorrow, the EES deadline is Friday, and the crisis that's been quietly driving up the cost of everything in Portugal just entered a new phase. Let's get into it.
🌬️ AIR QUALITY: 23 (Good). Spring in the city.
🗞️ TOP STORY
THE FIRST WESTERN SHIPS JUST PUSHED THROUGH HORMUZ. PORTUGAL IS STILL PAYING THE PRICE.
Last week, a French container ship and a Japanese gas carrier became the first Western-linked vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the war in Iran began in late February. The French ship, the CMA CGM Kribi, changed its destination listing to "Owner France" as it approached Iranian waters, effectively broadcasting its nationality to avoid being targeted. It worked. The ship made it through.
That might sound like a small detail in a distant conflict, but it explains a lot about daily life in Lisbon right now. Diesel above €2 a litre. Grocery prices creeping up. Inflation at 2.8% in March. The Banco de Portugal cutting its growth forecast. All of it traces back to this one narrow waterway between Iran and Oman.
Before the conflict, roughly 138 ships transited the strait every day. It carried about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. Since Iran effectively closed it in early March, daily traffic has dropped by around 93%. Only about 150 vessels total have made the crossing since March 1, most of them linked to Iran, China, India, or Pakistan. Ships from Western nations simply stopped trying.
That's changing now, slowly. Iran has started granting selective access. Chinese ships go through. Omani and Iraqi tankers have been cleared. The Philippines got an exemption last week. France and Japan just proved it's possible for Western-linked vessels to make the passage. But it's still a permission-based system, not an open waterway. Ships are loitering on both sides, waiting for clearance, sometimes making payments, sometimes switching off their tracking signals as they pass Iranian checkpoints near Qeshm Island.
Portugal isn't a spectator in this. The country joined a 35-nation coalition in early April, and a Portuguese-registered vessel, the MSC Aries, was previously seized in 2024 by Iran's Revolutionary Guard in the region. The government has responded to fuel price pressure with ISP tax cuts totalling 9.4 cents per litre on diesel and 5.1 cents on petrol. It helps, but it doesn't fix the underlying problem: as long as the strait stays partially closed, energy costs stay high, and those costs flow through to everything else.
The US reprieve on strikes against Iran was originally set to expire yesterday, April 6. President Trump has said reopening the strait is a condition for any deal, while also telling allies to sort it out themselves. Iran's former top diplomat, writing in Foreign Affairs, has floated a deal: reopen Hormuz and curb the nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Whether any of that actually happens is anyone's guess.
For anyone filling up their car in Lisbon this week, the takeaway is simpler: fuel prices aren't high because of Portuguese policy. They're high because the world's most important oil chokepoint is operating at 7% capacity. Until that changes, the prices won't either.
⚡ QUICK HITS
Rosalia tomorrow night. MEO Arena, Wednesday April 8. Doors at 7pm. If you haven't got tickets yet, some are still available. This is going to be one of the biggest concerts of the spring.
EES deadline is Friday. April 10 is the hard date for full biometric border implementation across every Schengen entry point. Non-EU passport holders flying this week: arrive early. Lisbon Airport has not added infrastructure to handle this smoothly.
Cascais Line still disrupted. Safety work between Caxias and Cascais continues. Weekday evening suspensions from 9:50pm, Sunday disruptions throughout the day. Replacement buses running. On April 12, Sao Pedro do Estoril to Cascais goes to single track. Check the CP website before heading out.
Citizenship law update: nothing yet. The revised Nationality Law remains with President Seguro. No timeline, no signal. The current five-year rule is still in effect. If you're eligible or close to it, get moving.
🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY
If you've walked past Time Out Market and kept going toward Rua da Moeda, you've probably noticed Cafe Janis. It's the place with plants in the windows, comic book posters on the walls, and a queue of people who look like they know something you don't.
It's run by Belgian owners, which explains the Belgian frites on the menu (proper ones, twice-fried, worth ordering every time). The rest of the menu runs from breakfast through to late-night cocktails. Morning favourites include the Turkish eggs, the shakshuka with goat cheese, and a chicken sandwich with pancetta and egg that has a quiet cult following. There are solid vegetarian and vegan options, which is still rarer than it should be in Lisbon.
The space itself is relaxed without trying too hard. Black-and-white photos, warm lighting, good music. It works equally well for a solo coffee with a book, brunch with friends, or a glass of wine after work. Dogs are welcome, which in this neighbourhood is basically a requirement.
Rua da Moeda 1A, Cais do Sodre. Open daily. Mon-Tue 8am-4pm, Wed-Sun 8am-1am. Cards accepted. Expect to pay €12-18 for brunch, €4-5 for coffee and a pastry.
Insider tip: Go on a Wednesday or Thursday evening when the brunch crowd has gone and the cocktail menu comes alive. The pisco sour is good. The atmosphere after dark is even better.
📅 WHAT'S ON
Rosalia (Tomorrow, Wed April 8) MEO Arena.
EES Deadline (Fri April 10) Biometric border system goes fully mandatory.
Italian Film Festival (April 10-18) Opens with the latest Paolo Sorrentino film. Tribute to Claudia Cardinale. Closing gala at the Coliseu.
Tinariwen (Tue April 14) LAV Lisboa Ao Vivo. Desert blues from the Sahara.
Liberty Day (Sat April 25) Next public holiday. Carnation Revolution celebrations.
📜 ON THIS DAY
April 7, 1948. The World Health Organization was founded, with a constitution that defined health as not just the absence of disease but "a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing." That language was written by people who had just lived through a world war and understood that survival alone wasn't enough. Seventy-eight years later, the definition still holds up.
See you tomorrow morning.
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