WS #12480

The US-Iran conflict continues to escalate with new airstrikes and diplomatic signals. Iran's Press TV reports a US attack on an industrial facility in Khomein, while a US airstrike on Shiraz is confirmed. Iran's foreign ministry says it has received mediation proposals, but no ceasefire is imminent. Brent oil tops $90/barrel, up 2.37%, as Strait of Hormuz disruptions persist. Shipowners are offering huge bonuses to get crews to sail Hormuz, indicating severe shipping risks. The oil shock narrative is reinforced by Bloomberg's 'The Oil Shock Isn't Over' and repeated drone strikes halting CPC Black Sea oil exports. In tech, Google is surging on a leaked report about a new 'Frozen v2' server chip that could run AI models up to 10x more efficiently, adding $129B in market cap. Archer Aviation jumps 16% on Anduril partnership for autonomous VTOL platforms. Netflix returns to the bond market for the first time in two years, planning to sell notes due 2036. The Dow is seeing a rotation into value sectors (healthcare, financials) away from mega-cap tech. Deutsche Bank expects the Fed to raise rates twice this year. A dark pool alert shows a $141M SPY block trade at $747.32, suggesting institutional activity. The narrative arc is ESCALATING for the US-Iran conflict, with oil prices rising and no de-escalation in sight.