Iran Strait Crisis Deepens, War Trades Under Scrutiny, Africa’s Investment Case

Your morning briefing. All the news you need to start your day.

On today's podcast:

(1) President Donald Trump said he was “optimistic” about a deal with Iran but later threatened Tehran over charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz, as Israeli strikes in Lebanon and the continued closure of the vital waterway jeopardized diplomatic talks.

(2) After almost six weeks of war, how did Pakistan manage to get the US and Iran to talk? Mishal Hussain join us to discuss her interview for Maleeha Lodhi. She has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, as well as to the UK and United Nations. Listen to the full conversation on the Mishal Hussain Show

(3) Saudi Arabia has lost more than half a million barrels a day of oil output capacity because of Iranian attacks while a key pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz was also hit, ratcheting up risks to global energy supplies from the war in the Middle East.

(4) The White House sent an internal staff-wide email that warned employees against using confidential information to place trades on financial markets and fast-growing event betting platforms.

(5) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell summoned Wall Street leaders to an urgent meeting on concerns that the latest artificial intelligence model from Anthropic PBC will usher in an era of greater cyber risk.

(6) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ousted the chief executive officer of Leonardo SpA, the state-backed aerospace and defense contractor, while retaining CEOs at energy firms Eni and Enel.

(7) Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are reshaping investor risk perceptions, highlighting Africa as more resilient than its reputation suggests.

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