WS #12656

The US-Iran conflict continues to escalate with new developments: IRGC claims it destroyed Amazon's Bahrain data center (corroborated by Hacker News and previous awareness), and a new attack on Kuwait with drones and missiles is reported. However, a key counter-signal emerges: an Omani diplomatic delegation has arrived in Iran to discuss managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz (confirmed by both a Bluesky priority post and BBC RSS). This diplomatic move could de-escalate the oil supply disruption thesis. Additionally, Trump is set to meet Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday amid Iran escalation (Axios). In corporate news, Tesla (TSLA) continues to slide, trading at $309, its lowest in nearly a year, with sentiment scores at 17.54. SpaceX (SPCX) hits post-IPO lows ahead of a massive 911.5 million share lock-up expiry. Intel (INTC) posted strong Q2 revenue growth of 25% YoY, but shares erased gains after Jim Cramer's comment. Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, Palantir, and 20+ other companies signed a letter warning against government restrictions on open-weight AI models, a bullish signal for AI-related tech stocks. Verizon (VZ) shares are trading higher after better-than-expected Q2 adjusted EPS and raised FY26 guidance. The dominant theme is ESCALATING in the US-Iran conflict, with the data center strike and new attack on Kuwait representing a new front, but the Omani diplomatic mission and Trump-Netanyahu meeting offer potential counter-signals.