Oil Comes Close To $120, Iran War Market Selloff, Khamenei’s Son New Leader

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

On today's podcast:

(1) Oil soared above $100 a barrel as more major Middle East producers curbed production, the Strait of Hormuz remained all but closed, and the US threatened to deepen a conflict that has upended energy markets.

(2) Equities tumbled and a global bond selloff deepened as crude oil surged above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, with the US-Israeli war against Iran showing no sign of easing and both sides appearing set to prolong the conflict. The dollar rose.

(3) Iran named the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as its new supreme leader and President Donald Trump called $100 oil a “small price to pay,” with neither side showing any sign of deescalating a war now entering its 10th day.

(4) President Donald Trump is weighing the option of deploying special forces on the ground to seize Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium, as officials grow increasingly concerned the stockpile may have been moved, according to three diplomatic officials briefed on the matter.

(5) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the prospect of intervening to help households with soaring energy bills as oil prices hit $100-a-barrel for the first time since 2022, with little sign that the war in Iran is nearing resolution.

(6) Chancellor Friedrich Merz suffered a setback when his conservatives lost a regional election to the Greens, a stinging blow for the unpopular German leader compounded by a jump in support for the far right.

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