Tehran will look to open other fronts if the US and Israel persist in their bombing campaign.

International and US efforts to mollify oil markets continued to fail in the face of the long-feared worst-case scenario. Oil prices rose more than 9% with Brent crude ending the session above $100 for the first time since August 2022. US crude futures also settled at the highest levels in more than three years.

Three commercial vessels were struck in the Arabian Gulf over the past 24 hours, and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted millions of barrels a day of supply, causing what the International Energy Agency described as the biggest hit to global production on record

Deutsche Bank flagged a $30 billion exposure to private credit, an asset class increasingly battered by fund redemptions, scrutiny of underwriting standards and the threat of artificial intelligence on its borrowers. The lender said it is not exposed to “significant risks” related to non-bank financial institutions, but that it could face potential indirect risks through interconnected portfolios and counterparties.

The $1.8 trillion private credit market is witnessing an exodus of investors after some high-profile corporate blowups led to mounting concerns over loan quality and exposure to AI-vulnerable software

Stocks dived again on Thursday as sinking markets and rising oil prices continue to complicate Donald Trump’s war agenda at a time when his party is under increasing pressure about affordability. Goldman Sachs warned that oil prices could exceed the 2008 peak if flows via the Strait of Hormuz remain depressed through March. Brent rallied to a high of $147.50 that year.
The Iran war is causing unprecedented turmoil in oil markets, hitting 7.5% of global supply and an even bigger swath of exports,

The number of Iranian missile launchers has held steady after a week of unrelenting airstrikes, according to Israeli and western estimates, indicating the difficulty of finding small, mobile targets without having complete control of the skies.

The mobile launchers are key to Iran’s ability to fire its large supply of ballistic missiles. But finding the vehicles in such a large country, especially when some airspace is still dangerous for US and Israeli aircraft, poses a huge challenge. Meanwhile, Tehran has long been aware the launchers will be targeted.

***Russian intelligence support for Iran’s retaliation against the US, Israel and Gulf allies—as well as concerns China may also be helping Tehran—demonstrates deepening ties among US adversaries as the war with Iran continues to widen.

***IMO both Russia and China are helping Iran. No different than the US and UK, France and Germany, Canada and Poland etc all helping Ukraine… ***
what else was realistically to be expected???

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.

This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.

More information will be made available as the situation develops. We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.