Overview
- Trump, in a Wednesday night address, said U.S. forces will intensify operations for the next two to three weeks and claimed core objectives are near completion.
- Hours after the speech, Israel said it detected missiles launched from Iran and reported fresh strikes on Iranian targets and Hezbollah fire from Lebanon.
- Oil prices jumped about 5% with Brent near $106 to more than $108 a barrel, and stock markets in Asia and futures in Europe and the U.S. fell after the address.
- Iran rejected Trump’s assertion that it requested a ceasefire, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman calling the claim false.
- The UK is hosting a virtual meeting of about 35 countries on Thursday to pursue non‑military steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries roughly one‑fifth of global oil and is now largely closed.