Diesel tops $5 a gallon as regular gas reaches almost $4, nearly a dollar and a quarter more than a year agoMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe average price of diesel fuel in the US has increased again to more than $5 a gallon, according to the AAA, and the average price of gas is almost $4, returning to their highs before the June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran.It’s a reminder to consumers and truckers of the costs of the Iran war and the unpredictable rhetoric from both Washington and Tehran. A year ago today, the AAA says, the average price for a gallon of diesel was $3.72, almost a dollar and a quarter less than it is now. Continue reading...
• Iranian forces launched two attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz this week, including a June 25 strike on the Singapore-flagged container ship M/V Ever Lovely.
• The M/V Ever Lovely is operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine, highlighting the risk to international shipping lanes in one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.
• These incidents heighten global energy security risks, as any prolonged instability in the region could disrupt oil and gas flows and spike global energy prices.
• New research from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) warns that AI-generated investment portfolios are heavily concentrated in mega-cap tech stocks.
• The study found that Large Language Models (LLMs) prioritize the volume of media coverage over fundamental financial analysis, leading to a near-universal recommendation of Nvidia (NVDA).
• This trend is significant because it creates aggressive, unbalanced portfolios that may heighten investment risks by ignoring traditional valuation metrics.
Experts warn of ‘soft target’ vulnerabilities and intelligence gaps as federal agencies prepare to secure 78 matches across 11 citiesFifa World Cup matches set to be held across the United States face heightened terrorism risks, with experts warning that vulnerabilities are being amplified by the US-Israel conflict with Iran and a depletion of counter-terrorism expertise within federal law enforcement.The biggest threat stems from homegrown violent extremists, often lone actors that may have become radicalized online by extreme political views or jihadists such as the Islamic State (Isis), said four counter-terror experts interviewed. Continue reading...
Oil prices and borrowing costs are expected to rise this week as tankers remain stranded in Persian gulfMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe failure of the US and Iran to reach a peace deal after marathon negotiations has put markets on alert for further oil and gas price rises.With large numbers of oil tankers remaining stuck in the Persian gulf, the US vice-president, JD Vance blamed the collapse of the talks on Tehran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian sources hit back at “excessive” demands from Washington. Continue reading...
War continues to escalate with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis confirming a second wave of attacks on Israel since they joined the war on SaturdayRead the full reportHello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East as the war enters its second month.The war only continues to escalate as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis confirmed a second wave of attacks on Israel since joining the conflict on Saturday. They have vowed to continue strikes in the coming days, posing a threat not just to worsening regional security but also global trade.In a televised speech, Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said the Iran-backed group had launched a “barrage of cruise missiles and drones” in a second attack on Israel, targeting key military sites. He vowed the Houthis would continue military operations in the coming days until Israel “ceases its attacks and aggression”.The entry of the Houthis, poses a direct threat to the Bab al-Mandab strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, a second major choke point in the supply chain of energy supplies and other trade in and out of the Middle East. With Iran’s near total closure of the strait of Hormuz, a shutdown of the Bab al-Mandab, located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, would amplify the already grave impact of the war on the global economy, and could also reignite a Saudi-Yemen conflict.The Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran – potentially including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the strait of Hormuz – though President Donald Trump has not yet approved any deployment, the Washington Post is reporting. Any ground operation would stop short of a full-scale invasion, instead involving raids by special operations forces and conventional infantry troops, the Post said, citing unnamed officials.Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has told one of the US’s biggest annual gatherings of conservatives that he is ready to lead a new Iranian government and would call on the country’s citizens to rise up when the “right moment arrives”, AP reports. Pahlavi is the son of the shah, a monarch deposed in 1979 when the Islamic theocracy came to power.Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to target US universities in the Middle East after saying US-Israeli strikes had deliberately targeted two Iranian universities. “If the US government wants its universities in the region to be free from retaliation... it must condemn the bombing of the universities in an official statement by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time,” said the statement published by Iranian media.Pakistan has said it would host a meeting of Middle Eastern powers on Monday in an effort to find a regional approach to ending the conflict. But the talks, which bring together the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, did not appear to include any of the warring parties, casting further doubt on persistent US claims of diplomatic progress.Israeli attacks killed three journalists in a targeted strike on their car in southern Lebanon, which the Lebanese president condemned as a “blatant war crime”. The strike killed Ali Shoeib, from Hezbollah-owned al-Manar TV, Fatima Ftouni and her brother and cameraman Mohammed Ftouni from pro-Hezbollah outlet al-Mayadeen.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organisation, called for an end to attacks on medical staff after nine paramedics were killed in southern Lebanon on Saturday.The Israeli military bombarded Tehran with a “wide-scale wave of strikes”, damaging residential areas, civilian infrastructure, and research and educational buildings. The IDF also said it had hit Iran’s headquarters for naval weaponry.Iran has allowed 20 oil tankers from Pakistan to pass through the strait of Hormuz. Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, said two ships would cross per day. The country has been playing a key mediatory role in the conflict. Continue reading...
• The U.S. economy faces 'real risk' of recession following four weeks of war in Iran, with major indexes like S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq down sharply and energy stocks up 25%.
• Inflation pressures have driven 30-year fixed mortgage rates to 6.5%, up 0.5 points, while businesses cannot expect Federal Reserve rate cuts soon.
• Stock portfolios and retirement accounts have suffered ugly losses, compounded by higher gas prices and persistent high interest rates.
Three ideologically inspired attacks occurred in the past week: ISIS-inspired bombings at a New York City protest, a vehicle ramming at a Michigan synagogue by a Lebanese citizen, and a shooting at a Virginia university by a prior terrorism convict yelling 'Allahu akbar.' These incidents coincide with the US war against Iran, following strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and FBI Director Kash Patel's firings of dozens of agents, including those on Iran and Trump document cases, straining counterterrorism resources. A Pakistani was convicted last week for 2024 assassination plots against Trump under Iranian Revolutionary Guard orders, while Justice Department seized domains used by Iran for dissident killings. The threats elevate national security risks as midterm elections approach, with cyber attacks like the one on Stryker adding to concerns.
A missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on March 13, 2026, according to two Iraqi security officials, prompting a Level 4 security alert renewal for US interests in Iraq. Iran-aligned militias have intensified rocket and drone attacks on the embassy and bases hosting US-coalition troops, following recent US strikes on Iran. The incident underscores rising risks to American personnel, coming a day after a drone strike in northern Iraq killed one French soldier and wounded others in the anti-ISIS coalition. US diplomats warn of potential continued targeting by Iran-backed groups amid the escalating regional conflict.
