Traders Focus on Oil, Trump on Iran Operation Goals

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Traders remained focused on oil with the commodity extending gains as the US and Israel stepped up their war against Iran, while Tehran threatened a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the movement of oil. Brent rose toward $79 a barrel after spiking about 7% on Monday. We spoke to Stephen Stapczynski, Bloomberg's Team Leader for Asia Energy.

Plus - The US sent conflicting messages about how long a war with Iran might last as Israel launched new airstrikes on Monday, with the widening conflict reverberating across the Middle East and upending energy markets. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday rejected the idea of an "endless" war with Iran. But President Donald Trump later insisted there was no fixed timeline. Both refused to rule out putting American boots on the ground. "Whatever the time is, it's okay — whatever it takes," Trump said. "Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks. But we have capability to go far longer than that." We heard from Mona Yacoubian, CSIS Director and Senior Adviser of the Middle East Program. She spoke to Bloomberg's David Ingles and Yvonne Man. 

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