Gold and silver plummet! Breaking in the Middle East: Tehran was hit by two rounds of large-scale airstrikes within 10 minutes!

This morning’s opening saw spot gold and silver decline. As of the time of writing, spot gold has fallen over 0.9%, experiencing a sharp drop after briefly turning positive, while silver has dropped more than 2%.

On the oil front, WTI and Brent crude oil opened with significant gains, both rising over 2% as of the time of writing.

In terms of news, the conflict between Israel and Iran is escalating. With the Houthis entering the fray, Israel now has to contend not only with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon but also with attacks from the Houthi forces in Yemen.

On the evening of March 29 local time, which is early morning today (March 30) Beijing time, Tehran, the capital of Iran, experienced two rounds of large-scale airstrikes lasting over ten minutes. Following the strikes, some areas in Tehran and elsewhere temporarily lost power.

The Israeli military claimed that dozens of Israeli warplanes targeted Tehran’s infrastructure in airstrikes, “further degrading Iran’s weapon production capabilities.” The Israeli military stated that over 120 munitions were directed at facilities in Tehran “used for weapon development and production.”

On March 29 local time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei stated that the suggestions submitted to Iran by the U.S. through intermediaries were very extreme and unreasonable.

In an interview with the media that day, Baghaei indicated that these suggestions involved Iran’s fundamental rights and did not reflect goodwill or a serious diplomatic attitude. He also stated that Iran must rely on its own capabilities to ensure security and will use all means to prevent further attacks.

Baghaei emphasized that Iran’s military actions would not target Arab countries but would focus on U.S. military bases and assets used against Iran, asserting that the current conflict is not a war between the American people and Iran, but rather a conflict imposed on the region.

According to CCTV News, on March 29, U.S. Central Command Commander Brad Cooper visited Israel and met with Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The two sides discussed ongoing joint military operations against Iran, which have recently focused primarily on Iran’s weapons manufacturing industry.

On March 29, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that the heavy water plant in Arak, located in Iran’s Markazi Province, has been severely damaged and has ceased operations. According to Iranian reports, the facility was attacked during military clashes two days ago.

The IAEA stated on social media that based on independent analysis of satellite images and knowledge of the heavy water plant, it can confirm that the facility has suffered severe damage and is no longer operational. The facility does not contain any declared nuclear materials.

The heavy water facility is located near the city of Arak in Iran’s Markazi Province. During the “12-Day War” between Israel and Iran in June 2025, the heavy water facility was also targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

(Source: Securities Times)