WS #12567

The US-Iran conflict continues to escalate, with Trump vowing to bomb Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain' centrifuge site 'pretty soon' and stating the US is 'not finished at all' with Iran. Houthi threats to shipping persist, and sirens sounded in Bahrain, though a claim that Iran blew up Amazon's data center in Bahrain appears unsubstantiated. Oil prices remain elevated above $90, with prediction markets seeing a 51% chance of US oil topping $90 this month. On the diplomatic front, Lebanese President Aoun said his meeting with a US senior adviser 'went very well,' but Trump offered no timeline for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Separately, Apple is reportedly launching a new leasing program 'Apple Upgrade' on July 28, partnering with Klarna, which could boost iPhone/Mac demand and lifted KLAR stock 9%. Google released three new Gemini models but not the anticipated 3.5 Pro, causing a 1% dip in GOOGL stock. Salesforce shares fell after a Morgan Stanley downgrade. The Clarity Act for crypto is at the '1-yard line' per Bessent, boosting crypto stocks. S&P Dow Jones and Pantera Capital launched a new digital asset index. Overall, the dominant theme is geopolitical escalation (US-Iran-Houthi) with oil price surge, while tech and crypto have positive catalysts.