Japanese and South Korean stock markets plummet! Trump: Want to "seize" Iran's oil! Israeli forces launch 120 missiles

The entire market has plummeted.

Due to the impact of the Middle East situation, global capital markets have declined sharply. On March 30, the Japanese and South Korean stock markets opened significantly lower, and as of the time of writing, the Nikkei 225 index has dropped over 5%; the South Korean KOSPI index has fallen more than 4%, briefly dipping over 5% at the start of trading.

Additionally, U.S. stock index futures are also down across the board, with the Nasdaq 100 futures declining by 0.92% as of the time of writing.

Gold and silver have also decreased; currently, spot gold is down more than 1%, falling below $4500 per ounce, while spot silver has dropped over 2%.

Oil prices and LME aluminum have surged significantly. As of the time of writing, ICE Brent crude is priced above $108 per barrel, with LME aluminum rising over 5%.

In terms of news, Emirates Global Aluminium stated on the 28th that its plant in Abu Dhabi was attacked by Iranian forces; Bahrain Aluminium Company also confirmed on the 29th that some of its facilities were attacked by Iran. The Middle East is an important supply source for aluminum, accounting for about 8% to 9% of global production. The conflict has led to a significant reduction in local production capacity, and with disruptions in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, both the input of raw materials and the export of finished products have been obstructed. Reports indicate that aluminum prices on the London Metal Exchange have risen about 10% this year. Citigroup analysts previously predicted that if supply conditions worsen, aluminum prices could climb to $4000 per ton, far above the current level of about $3300 per ton.

Regarding the Middle East conflict, according to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. President Trump stated in an interview with British media on the 29th that he wants to “seize” Iran’s oil and does not rule out occupying the oil export hub of Khark Island. Trump expressed in an interview with the Financial Times that he hopes to “take oil” from Iran “like in Venezuela.”

On the evening of March 29 local time, Tehran, the capital of Iran, was subjected to two rounds of large-scale airstrikes, damaging some power transmission facilities and causing temporary power outages in Tehran and other areas. According to observations from CCTV reporters, the current U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict continues to exhibit intense and stalemated conditions, with Iran increasing its strikes against U.S. and Israeli targets, while the frequency and intensity of airstrikes on Tehran are noticeably increasing.

On March 29 local time, the Iranian military announced that its air defense forces shot down an MQ-9 “Reaper” drone belonging to U.S.-Israeli adversaries. The drone was intercepted and successfully hit by the air defense system’s monitoring network in the eastern Strait of Hormuz, subsequently crashing and disintegrating. The MQ-9 is one of the U.S. military’s long-endurance armed drones, with a single unit costing about $30 million.

The Israel Defense Forces announced on the evening of March 29 local time that earlier that day, dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out another round of airstrikes on infrastructure in Tehran, Iran’s capital. The IDF stated that this round of airstrikes focused on further damaging Iran’s weapon production capabilities, with over 120 munitions being dropped on facilities used for weapon research and production,** and the IDF also attacked facilities used for storing and launching ballistic missiles as well as several air defense facilities.** Attacks by Israel on Tehran’s military industry continue.

In the U.S., on the 28th, massive nationwide protests erupted. Protesters expressed dissatisfaction with a series of policies from the U.S. federal government, calling for an end to military strikes against Iran. Organizers estimated that over 3,000 protests were held across the country that day, covering all 50 states, including major cities such as Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Boston, with media estimates of participation reaching 9 million.

(Source: Securities Times)